Halal-Industry Association Established in Kazakhstan

The new NGO brought together about 400 enterprises, said Marat Sarsenbayev, the association’s chairperson, as reported by KazInform. Its first constituent congress is being held in Astana today.

According to М. Sarsenbayev, the halal industry is to occupy its own niche and has great development outlooks. In 2006, a state standard for this product was introduced in Kazakhstan. Many factories and meat packing plants have already accepted this trend. Halal is an environment-friendly product made in full compliance with the following requirements: no pork is used, slaughtering and meat processing follows certain technical procedures, animals are raised exclusively on environment-friendly feed, etc.

The stereotype that such products are made only in Muslim countries is refuted by such major meat suppliers as Brazil and Argentina. According to М. Sarsenbayev, as such products become more popular, there are more fakes in our country. A fake is usually sold without the producer’s contact details. Therefore, a contract was signed with National Centre of Biotechnology to carry out research to evaluate the product quality.

Opening of an Islamic bank in Kazakhstan will undoubtedly have a positive effect on the industry. “Interest-free credit lines will enhance fast development of the halal industry because our producers must be funded mostly by the Islamic bank,” said М. Sarsenbayev.

Notably, the constituent congress of Halal-Industry Association in Astana is attended by guests from the Chechen Republic, Kyrgyzstan, Tatarstan, and Tajikistan.

According to Ilnur Gainullin from the Halal Standard Committee at the Muslim Religious Board of Tatarstan, participation in the meeting will provide an opportunity to exchange experiences. “Today, we come to learn and share our expertise. Slow but sure, the halal industry in Russia keeps developing, Tatarstan being a leader in this area,” he said. I. Gainullin also said that preparations for the 2013 World Student Games – the biggest contest ever held in Tatarstan – takes halal production norms into account because a lot of competitors will arrive from Muslim countries.

“I think the current event will expand our cooperation. I would like to see my colleagues here who make halal products. There is a high demand of such products in different regions of Russia, and we will therefore discuss supplies of halal products made in Kazakhstan to those Russian regions, as well as participation in international exhibitions,” I. Gainullin said.