TH Group approaches the world's largest Muslim market

The conference "Halal Market in Southeast Asia - South Asia - South Pacific: Potential and Opportunities" organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on December 20 in Hanoi aimed to analyze the opportunities and challenges of Vietnamese enterprises in the Halal industry in Southeast Asia - South Asia - South Pacific.

Even just 1% of the Halal market share is already of great value.

Currently, the Halal food and agricultural products industry is a large and sustainable export opportunity for Vietnamese enterprises. In particular, the Southeast Asia - South Asia - South Pacific region is a very potential export market, because the population of Muslims and Halal food users is about 860 million people, accounting for 66% of the total number of Muslims worldwide.

Achieving Halal certification means meeting strict criteria for safety, hygiene and quality. Halal standards are not only related to the final product but also consider the entire process from raw materials to the process of raising, caring, slaughtering, preserving, packaging, transporting and distributing to consumers...

Therefore, in recent years, Halal food has been widely accepted not only within the Muslim community but also among non-Muslim groups, especially when consumers in general are increasingly concerned about health and favor green, clean, and organic trends.

TH Group's Halal certified products were displayed and introduced at the Conference.

At the Conference, Ms. Samina Naz, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Vietnam, assessed that if Vietnam could capture 1% of the Halal market share, it would bring great value.

However, experts and managers say that businesses are facing many difficulties in exploiting this market.

“We are still in the "breaking the ice" stage, not really capturing a significant market share in the above giant "pie". Each year, only about 50 Vietnamese companies are granted Halal certification. Currently, Vietnam only has about 20 export items to the Halal market, a very low number compared to the potential. Up to 40% of Vietnamese localities do not have Halal-certified export products," said Mr. Nguyen Quoc Dung, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

According to figures, Vietnam's Halal product export capacity is still quite modest, reaching only 10.5 billion USD compared to 34 billion USD - the level determined as the demand of the Organization of Islamic Countries for our products. Meanwhile, Southeast Asia - South Asia - South Pacific is the largest Halal food consuming region in the world.

Vietnamese businesses strive to enter the world's largest Halal market

Ms. Hoang Thanh Thuy - International Business Director of TH Group said: Since 2014, TH has achieved Halal certification and up to now, most of TH Group's milk, dairy food and beverage products have Halal certification in addition to other important quality certifications such as ISO, FSSC, BRC,...

Ms. Hoang Thanh Thuy, International Business Director of TH Group shared at the Conference.

Realizing the future of the Halal industry in the region and the world, not long after TH true MILK was born, the unit started preparing technical corridors for entering this industry.

"We have worked with a reputable intermediary to establish Halal certification. As you all know, the process of certifying a product to meet Halal standards is extremely complicated and time-consuming. The criteria are not only about product ingredients but also include the entire process from planting, production to processing, packaging, labeling, preservation and transportation. Since 2014, TH has achieved Halal certification, and every year it is re-evaluated and re-evaluated," said Ms. Hoang Thanh Thuy.

Ms. Thuy emphasized: In fact, the strict requirements of Halal certification coincide with the core values ​​and product thinking of TH Group. With the vision and aspiration to bring Vietnamese milk and products from Vietnamese land to the world, TH has invested thoroughly, applied world-class technology and the world's largest closed-loop process "from pasture to glass of milk" and directly to consumers.

"From there, we can confidently conquer first Vietnamese mothers and children, then reach out to the most demanding foreign markets with prestigious products that meet the highest international standards, including Halal standards," a representative of TH Group affirmed.

According to TH representative, TH products enter the Halal market naturally, with international processes and quality as they have always done for the Vietnamese market.

With the positioning "For community health, Completely natural, Fresh - delicious - nutritious, Environmentally friendly", it can be said that TH Group entered the Halal market naturally, with the same process and quality as it has always done for the Vietnamese market.

According to Ms. Thuy, in 2021, in the context of the complicated developments of the domestic and global epidemic that have seriously affected the economy, TH Group still strives to connect trade with Halal markets. Some activities include: Participating in the Malaysia Halal International Exhibition - MIHAS in September-December 2021 by setting up an online display booth. Or in August 2021, TH was one of nearly 40 domestic enterprises selected to participate in "Vietnam National Brand Week 2021 - Hybrid Exhibition of Processed Food and Halal Products" in Singapore...

TH participated in "Vietnam National Brand Week 2021 - Hybrid exhibition of processed food and Halal products" in Singapore in August 2021.

However, Ms. Thuy also commented that the reality of exporting milk, dairy products and beverages to Halal markets in the region has not been as expected. Exports that do not match the potential are also a common situation for most Vietnamese enterprises, even though Vietnam is located near large Halal markets.

Through the workshop, representatives of TH Group as well as Vietnamese enterprises in general hope that State agencies, relevant departments and Vietnamese trade offices in Muslim countries will have more incentives and active support for enterprises in trade promotion activities in this potential import-export industry.

Bach Diep