Russia exports of halal products to Persian Gulf, Egypt expected to grow to $700 mln by 2030 -Agroexport
MOSCOW. Nov 10 (Interfax) - Russian exports of halal products to Persian Gulf countries and Egypt could grow by more than six times by 2030 compared to the 2020 figure, the head of strategic communications and product promotion at Agroexport Center, Andrei Kucherov on Wednesday.
"Russian exports of halal products to Persian Gulf countries, as well as Egypt, reached $116 million in 2020. Confectionary products made up the main share, 59%, and meat products [accounted for] 40%. It is expected that the amount of Russian exports of halal products to these countries will exceed $700 million in 2030, in other words grow by more than six times," Kucherov said at a roundtable on at the World Quality Day 2022 forum in Moscow.
He said meat products have particular potential. "The meat industry in Russia is actively developing. In addition, about 20 million Muslims live here, which creates domestic demand for halal meat. Its production is up to 10% of total production of poultry meat, beef and sheep meat," Kucherov said.
The key markets for halal exports are Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The former annually imports over $1.2 billion worth of meat products, $670 million of dairy products and more than $1.1 billion in confectionary products, while the UAE imports over $800 million of meat products and more than $300 million of dairy products, Kucherov said.
"In order to realize the export potential of Russian halal products, Agroexport initiated the development of a strategy for its promotion on markets in the Middle East and North Africa. We concluded that there's no point in promoting Russian halal products as halal in this region. The consumer there already a priori believes all products are halal," Kucherov said.
"Therefore, promotion should be built on a system of national certification and the image of this system. The instruments needed for the certification system to work well are traceability and the existence of certification bodies inside the country," he said.
Promotion of halal products could get an additional push from the creation of a national umbrella brand, he said. Consumers in Saudi Arabia, for example, know little about Russian products and do not have a firm positive image of Russia as a food producer, he said.
"In this situation, launching a national umbrella brand could help raise awareness and establish a firm positive image of Russian food among Saudi consumers," Kucherov said.
The Middle East and North Africa market for halal food products totals $441 billion per year, the center said in its presentation. Global demand for such products is estimated at $1.3 trillion-$1.4 trillion per year, and it could grow to $1.7 trillion-$2 trillion by 2025.
Demand for halal products is not only growing in Muslim countries, but also in China, the United States and Japan, since halal is seen as a sign of quality and safety.