Bashkortostan hosted the Conference on the development of Halal industry

The perspectives of Halal industry development were discussed by the participants of the Conference, which took place 6th of March in the City Palace of Culture in Dyurtyuli in the framework of the exhibition of Halal manufacturers. This conference was attended by the representatives of Religious Board of Muslims of the RB, the Ministry of Agriculture of RB, the State Committee of RB for Enterprise and Commerce, the Center of standartization and certification of Halal products under of the Russian Mufties Council, the Bashkortostan Center of Certification and Examination, the administrations of the republic regions, the Bashkorkostan State Agriculture University, Veterinary services and a number of other agencies and organizations.

According to the Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of RB (RBM RB), mufti Nurmuhametov Nigmatullin, the revival of the Halal industry in Russia started literrally in the last 10-15 years whereas in most Islamic countries such products have been cultivated centuries and actively have been implemented in the industrial production. Thus the work in this field for domestic producers, representatives of the clergy and supervisory bodies is huge.

- The common, that unites all the participants of today meeting, is the desire to implement into our market the quality products of honest manufacturers and to let our people eat healthy food – the Deputy of the Chairman of RBM RB Ayul Bibarsov said. – Products, produced under the “Halal” brand are made from natural raw materials, using special technology without harmful addivities. However the main problem of our society is that many unfair manufacturers who knows the increasing popularity of Halal-industry, set up their products for Halal products though they are not indeed.

For the development of Halal market products in Bashkortostan the Committee of “Halal” standard at RBM RB was specially formed in June last year. This Committee today controls the terms of producing goods under the “Halal” brand and provides its voluntary certification. At the Russian Mufties Council such body has been working for years.

In the opinion of the Deputy Director of Bashkortostan Center of certification and examination of Nazifa Sugayupova, recently after the abolition of compulsory certification of number of products the problem of Halal counterfeits has become specially urgent. Many unfair producers, who didn’t passed a voluntary certification and didn’t pass control examination in the Committee of “Halal” standard, use to attract consumers for example in the sausage production such names as “Muslim”, “Tatar” and draw pictures of mosques on the packaging.

- Thus, these products are presented as products of high quality though they are not in fact, - Nazifa Sugayupova said. – And unfortunately neither we nor supervisory bodies cant draw them responsible. That’s why we mainly struggle with such unfair producers only by explanatory work among people through mass media.

According to the head of the Center of standardization and certification of “Halal” products at the Russian Mufties Council Aidar Gazizov , who shared with attendants the experience of “Halal” products certification, the examples of successful struggle with falsification of Halal products still exist.

- In St. Petersburg jointly with Rospotbrenadzor (the Federal service in the field of consumers rights defense) we managed to close a number of cafes, which positioned themselves as Halal, though actually the cooking was conducted in a terrible lack of hygiene, - he said. – But of course we still have a few methods against counterfeits. Nevertheless we get helpfrom major food producers, research institutes. Heads of country regions also pay attention to the issue of quality Halal products production. We regularly hold seminars on Halal industry with major meat manufecturers and technologists and hope that soon the situation in this market will be under control.

Eugenii Rahimkulov On materials of IA RB Bashinform

13.03.2010