Supporting the Halal Industry in ARMM

Creating the Market for Halal

Halal certification is both a service and a product. It has also become a marketing tool that provides access to specific markets. Among MMHCBI’s milestones is the certification of five business establishments in Cotabato City and one in Tagum City in Davao del Norte; nine others from Cagayan de Oro, Cebu City and Rizal Province are on the waitlist and more inquiries have been received. Indeed, the marketing and advocacy efforts on halal certification, guided by the business and communication strategies that LGSPA assisted MMHCBI to formulate, are paying off. There has been a significant increase in the awareness of private business establishments and consumers on the value of halal certification.

Tam’s Bakery in Cotabato City, which opened in 1946 and certified halal in September 2007 was the first business establishment to be certified by MMHCBI.  Owner Tony Chi wasted no time as soon as he found out there was a certifying body in Cotabato and after listening to the presentation on its value, in  complying with the requirements to cater to his Muslim clientele. Now all his ingredients are certified halal and sales have increased by 15%. Bai Raga Mustapha, a 63 year old resident of Sultan Kudarat, has not eaten pandesal (a bread roll) for many years, unsure that the local bread sold in the market did not use pork fat. Recently, she and many others have been patronizing Tam’s Bakery now that it is halal certified. With renewed demand for bread and pastries by Muslim clients Tony is eyeing to move to a bigger space where production volume can easily be increased to 2500 kilos of flour a day. The possibilities seem promising enough that Tony aims to put up similar bakeries in other areas of Mindanao when the time is right.

Tam's Bakery was the first enterprise to be certified halal by the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certification Board Inc. (MMHCBI). Its sales increased 15 percent after being the first to get certified.

In July 2008, Emerald Durian Place, a manufacturer of durian-based products and pastries, was certified by MMHCBI. It all started in November 2007 when the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) invited Alma Uy, owner of Emerald Durian Place, to join a seminar on halal accreditation. Recognizing the potential to break into the global halal market, Alma complied with MMHCBI requirements. She renovated her factory, hired two Muslim employees, bought better food processing equipment as well as ingredients from suppliers that had been certified halal. In no time, sales doubled, especially in Cotabato City. Alma remains invigorated by the MMHCBI’s support and is bent on having one product certified halal every two months.   

Ustadz Saguir Salendar for years had to buy native chickens and slaughter them himself just to be sure that they were halal. In June 2008, opportunity came knocking when Ustadz Saguir joined a two-week seminar organized by DAF- ARMM and facilitated by MMHCBI on how to start a halal poultry farm. He set up the Aljijiyah Poultry Farm on a 2,500 square meter property. Two months later, the second poultry farm was built on a one-hectare piece of land in Simuay. Despite high start-up costs, business is booming. Ustadz Saguir has followed MMHCBI’s recommendations on feeds and vaccines.  The Aljijiyah Poultry Farm was certified halal by MMHCBI in September 2008 and soon after, three hotels in Cotabato City – Centerpoint, Las Hermanas, and Casablanca – expressed interest in ordering 500 dressed chickens a week.