As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, to date, 160 such halal certificates have been issued, and 84 Croatian companies who currently have a halal certificate, of which 52 are food producers, 32 are engaged in services. One educational institution, the Matija Gubac Elementary School, as well as the first manufacturer of halal disinfectants, Genox, have halal certificates.
After the introduction of the halal certificate, the export of products is growing as having the certificate has an impact on the increase of company income, as well as on the profit, as was highlighted by the research conducted among Croatian companies and producers which are holders of halal certificates before the pandemic.
The coronavirus pandemic has further increased demand for halal products and services worldwide, opening up numerous markets and business opportunities. Why and how the halal market is developing, what the challenges and perspectives are, what the role of halal in certification and standardisation is, how much and how it contributes to exports and tourism in Croatia and what foreign halal experiences are, were all topics discussed at the first Halal Business Forum, which was held on Tuesday, September the 21st, 2021, at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb.
As part of the Forum, three more Croatian companies were presented with their halal certificates, these include: Tammy craft, which provides services in the processing of hazelnuts as a raw material and for the production of hazelnut oil, flour and butter; Luxury Villa Subventus from the island of Krk and Uljari Vodice d.o.o., which owns a modern olive oil centre.
Mufti Academician Aziz Hasanovic of the Islamic Community in the Republic of Croatia, stated that the Islamic community founded the Centre in 2010, from the very beginning with the desire to increase the number of not only companies but also products and services with halal certificates. There is room for more cooperation, the expansion of production opportunities, as well as joint appearances in third markets, he believes.
For Sandra Herman, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, there’s no doubt. Halal tourism will have its place in the Tourism Development Strategy until 2027, which is currently being prepared, not only seasonally, but also for the off-season and in the development of health and wellness tourism. She reminded that a total of 12 hotels have halal certificates, as well as one Croatian travel agency.
The ambassadorial panel, attended by Malaysian ambassadors Kennedy Mayong Onon, Iran’s Parviz Esmaeili, Azerbaijan’s Fakhraddin Gurbanov and the first secretary of the Indonesian Embassy in Croatia, Wasan Adi Nugraha, said that there was room and interest in developing foreign trade. The creation and operation of joint chambers and business associations, as well as the exchange of information, constant communication and the presentation and identification of potential, could contribute to acceleration. They also invited Croatian companies to freely contact them with inquiries about possible cooperation should they want to.
The value of the halal market in EU countries is estimated to stand at around 66 billion US dollars, with growth of between 2 and 3 percentage points each year. The EU produces a very large number of halal products for the needs of the domestic population, but at the same time, a lot of it is exported.
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