Business news

MINSK, 14 December (BelTA) – The availability of Halal certificates will help Belarusian food enter the UAE market and secure a foothold on it. The statement was made by Trade Counsellor of the Embassy of Belarus in the UAE Igor Bondarev during the international seminar held at premises of the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry on 14 December to discuss Halal certification of foods and manufacturers, BelTA has learned.

Igor Bondarev encouraged Belarusian producers to take a serious interest in exploring the UAE market. “For the last 20 years the United Arab Emirates have been vigorously developing the port infrastructure and re-export capabilities and have established strong ties with countries of the entire Middle East. This is why if we talk about exploring the UAE market, we should take into account the re-export potential, which includes countries like India, Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan,” said the Trade Counsellor. Several Belarusian companies are already working to get Halal certificates.

The organization of the seminar in Minsk was initiated by the UAE Halal certification company RACS. Representatives of about 40 companies took part in the seminar. The Belarusian producers were able to get detailed information about the Halal food market of the Persian Gulf, the latest development trends, and requirements for certification and quality of products.

According to RACS Executive Director Hamed Jamal, Belarusian products will sell well in the UAE primarily thanks to their high quality. He said he saw great prospects for sales of water and agricultural products, primarily poultry meat.

The RACS Executive Director made participants of the seminar familiar with the internationally recognized Halal standards, standards used in the UAE, and peculiarities of Halal certification in Belarus.

As a result of the seminar RACS Company and the National Center for Marketing and Price Studies signed a memorandum of cooperation. The document will help increase the export of Belarusian products.

The seminar was organized by the National Center for Marketing and Price Studies in association with the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry and the Belarusian state food industry concern Belgospishcheprom.

The third session of the Belarus-UAE intergovernmental cooperation committee will take place in Minsk in the next few days.