De Heus "knocks on the door" of the Halal market

Over the years, Halal products and services have become increasingly popular and favored globally, opening up many opportunities for Vietnam, including the livestock industry, with De Heus Vietnam being one of the leading enterprises.

For De Heus, the Halal market potential is vast, with a projected population of 2.18 billion by 2030, representing approximately 30% of the world's population. The market size is projected to reach a maximum of $3.2 trillion by 2025, with an annual growth rate of around 6.2%, not only in the Middle East but also in South Asia, West Asia, Africa, and several Southeast Asian countries.

This is a potential export market for Vietnamese agricultural and livestock products, opening up great opportunities for economic growth and trade cooperation, enabling Vietnamese businesses to penetrate deeper into the global Halal economy.

Enhancing cooperation in developing the Halal product chain.

De Heus Vietnam Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the De Heus Group (Netherlands), specializes in producing high-quality animal feed for livestock, poultry, and aquaculture. It currently owns numerous factories and a network of distribution warehouses operating throughout the country. De Heus's production capacity reaches approximately 3 million tons of feed for aquaculture, livestock, and poultry annually.

The corporation is focusing on building a supply chain, aiming to deliver the best possible value to livestock farming; at the same time, improving quality and diversifying products in a green direction to boost exports.

Recognizing the great potential of the Halal market, De Heus has, over the past several years, developed plans to boost and promote exports to Muslim-majority countries.

On March 1, 2024, a new step in the development of Halal-standard agricultural product chains officially began when De Heus Vietnam partnered with Ngoc Bich Trading and Service Production and Business Company Limited and World of Knowledge and Connection Company Limited.

De Heus Vietnam partners with Ngoc Bich Trading and Service Production Company Limited and World of Knowledge and Connection Company Limited to develop a chain of Halal-certified agricultural products. (Source: De Heus Vietnam)

Under this cooperation agreement, De Heus will supply Halal-certified animal feed and aquaculture feed products to the Ngoc Bich – Knowledge and Connection chain. Simultaneously, De Heus will continuously update product information to provide all participating parties with a comprehensive overview and enable them to flexibly adjust their business plans.

Accordingly, Ngoc Bich implements high-tech livestock farming processes, providing Halal-certified livestock and poultry products for export through the Ngoc Bich Halal Chicken farm system. In addition, Ngoc Bich plays a crucial role in guiding and inspecting other farmers to ensure they follow proper farming procedures, producing Halal-certified products. It also serves as a collection point for Halal-certified products from De Heus and its partners, supplying raw materials to Knowledge and Connection for export.

Throughout the collaboration, Knowledge and Connection will act as a consultant and guide for all parties on production processes according to Halal standards. Simultaneously, Knowledge and Connection will promote products and connect them to export markets, helping Halal-certified products effectively access international markets.

Through a comprehensive collaboration between De Heus and Ngoc Bich Halal Chicken, the two parties have produced and supplied animal feed manufactured using specialized processes and modern technology lines, adhering to the standards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Halal standards.

Ngoc Bich Halal Chicken farm system officially received Halal certification on November 6, 2023. This is the first chicken farm system in Vietnam to be trained in Halal-standard chicken meat production processes and to be certified as meeting Halal standards.

Sourced from De Heus, Ngoc Bich Halal Chicken relies on clean, specially produced animal feed to ensure a sustainable future for not only the community that appreciates Halal-certified food but also for those concerned about clean food worldwide. Therefore, the company directly cultivates and harvests its animal feed ingredients from farms in Latin American countries.

Using high-quality nutritional products that fully meet the needs of Halal-standard broiler chickens, combined with specialized feed products and De Heus's management support, results in high feed conversion rates, low losses, and farming outcomes that meet or even exceed the technical targets of poultry companies.

The Ngoc Bich Halal Chicken farm system, with over 10 large farms spread across the southeastern provinces of Vietnam, is the first in the De Heus broiler chicken chain to be trained in Halal-standard broiler chicken production processes and certified as eligible to produce Halal chicken for export to Muslim countries. The system is developed synchronously and standardized throughout, with modern facilities and processes according to international standards, meeting the most stringent requirements for Halal certification.

In addition, Ngoc Bich Chicken system closely collaborates with De Heus on regulations regarding farm housing, stocking density, veterinary disease prevention solutions, and the establishment of disease-free farming zones to ensure and meet the strictest standards for Halal-certified chicken products, along with high and stable productivity.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu - Director of External Relations at De Heus Vietnam, at the 2024 National Halal Conference.

The chicken farming and management system at Ngoc Bich Halal Chicken farm is fully equipped and standardized according to international farming standards. The entire infrastructure, including lighting, ventilation, electricity, water, automatic feed systems, and veterinary backup systems, is scientifically and modernly designed and installed to international standards to ensure optimal farming efficiency and facilitate immediate response to any incidents or disease outbreaks.

Ngoc Bich Halal Chicken owns a specialized Halal-certified slaughterhouse with separate sections for slaughtering, processing, sorting, packaging, waste treatment, and other supporting facilities. The slaughterhouse is equipped with the most advanced automated production lines and its operations are supervised by international experts according to ISO 22000:2018 & HACCP standards. Products from the Ngoc Bich Halal Chicken slaughterhouse are guaranteed to be free from growth stimulants, antibiotics, and artificial colorings.

Mastering standards to boost exports

According to the Department of Animal Husbandry (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), the goal for Vietnam's livestock development in the 2030-2045 period is to move towards a green approach to ensure food origin and safety standards for export. The Halal market is a demanding market, requiring not only technical standards but also religious beliefs associated with these products.

Halal regulations place great emphasis on farms and slaughterhouses that adhere to Islamic practices, requiring Muslim individuals to perform rituals and participate in certain stages of slaughtering and processing. Therefore, businesses exporting to this market need to thoroughly understand the technical standards and religious requirements to fully meet the demands of the market.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu, Director of External Relations at De Heus Vietnam Co., Ltd., stated that despite its potential, the Halal market is a new market for De Heus and Vietnam in general. "Through our research, we found that this market isn't overly difficult, but it is very demanding due to its requirements for product quality and cultural, religious, and spiritual factors."

Halal standards also vary greatly between countries, with some countries not even recognizing the standards of others. Therefore, the biggest challenge in order to export to diverse markets will be to fully and comprehensively understand the standards and certifications appropriate for each region and Muslim country,” Mr. Hieu said.

To exploit the export potential of Vietnamese poultry products to the Halal market, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is implementing the tasks assigned in Decision No. 10/QD-TTg dated February 14, 2023, of the Prime Minister approving the Project "Strengthening international cooperation to build and develop the Vietnamese Halal industry until 2030".

In particular, the Ministry has contributed to the establishment of a National Halal Center located at the General Department of Standards, Metrology and Quality (Ministry of Science and Technology) to provide support in legal matters, procedures, and the harmonization of international standards, thereby promoting the export of Vietnamese agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products to Halal markets.

With the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, De Heus is currently continuing to develop export-oriented solutions, such as establishing disease-free zones in the Southeast region, coordinating with relevant agencies to negotiate veterinary-related issues, etc., in order to continue seeking opportunities to export more products. In recent times, De Heus has also implemented comprehensive solutions to export its livestock products to Muslim markets by 2026.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/de-heus-go-cua-thi-truong-halal-293029.html