The Malaysia Global Business Forums is designed to create results for all stakeholders, and the next edition will be no different, this can best be expressed by an extract from a recent article:

“The forum will enable the Malaysian businessmen to explore the current business opportunities in the Middle East and will also provide the Arab participants to have a first-hand assessment of business prospects in Asia in general and Malaysia in particular” ARAB NEWS.COM

The key sectors that will be covered include:

Food Security: Agriculture production, Halal Food Manufacturing, Palm Oil

Infrastructure: Highway, Light & Medium Railway, Port Development, Property

Tourism Development: Hotel & Resort Investment, Travel Agent Linkages

ICT: E-Government, E-Procurement, E-Commerce & SME Industry Development

Islamic Finance: Islamic Banking, Takaful, Social Development Funds

Delegates can expect to identify investment opportunities and identify potential joint venture partners. Establish trade links, learn about the latest developments, while networking with key decision makers from both regions.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s leading businesswomen are looking into investment opportunities to work with Malaysians in two areas – Islamic finance and halal food.

President of the Abu Dhabi Business Women Council and chief operating officer of Al Jaber Group Fatima Al Jaber said Islamic finance and halal food were the two mutual areas that Malaysia and UAE could work together.

“Islamic finance is a very important sector that Malaysia is pioneering and I chair an investment bank (in the UAE). We are looking into investment opportunities in Malaysia,” she told Bernama after the UAE – Malaysia Power Ladies Roundtable 2011 here today.

Al Jaber is among ten influential UAE businesswomen who are in Malaysia for the Power Ladies UAE-Malaysia Roundtable 2011 tour. The Power Ladies tour, organised by Inside Investor, runs from December 5-9 and is aimed at providing the UAE guests with a greater understanding of the business opportunities available in Malaysia.

She said UAE offered huge opportunities for Malaysians in many areas included leisure, hotel, sports, property, healthcare and education.

“UAE is a consumer market. The sports and healthcare industry are growing. Education is another area. We have all types of school and universities in the UAE. There is also a great demand for certain types of properties there,” she said.

She also said that financial services were another area Malaysians could tap  as foreigners were currently involved in the business in the Emirates.

“The should be two-way (business ties)…Malaysians should come to UAE and venture into these areas,” she added.

The Power Ladies group also mentioned that three important areas that they would look into before venturing into businesses in Malaysia were government rules regulations, taxation and the business environment.

The group, over the previous two days, met Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation chief executive officer Dr Wong Lai Sum, chief executive officer of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority Datuk Noharuddin Nordin, SME Corp Chief Operating Officer Datuk Hafsah Hashim.

Today, they are scheduled to meet the Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah. — BERNAMA

Next article:

UAE ‘power ladies’ explore bilateral investment ties opportunities with Malaysia 

KUCHING: United Arab Emirates (UAE) businesswomen visiting Malaysia paid a courtesy call Malaysian Government Chief Secretary, Tan Sri Sidek Mohd Hassan yesterday to explore opportunities for closer business ties between the two countries to boost bilateral trade and investment.

The visitors, who are here to attend the Power Ladies UAE-Malaysia Roundtable 2011 from December 5 to 9, will be visiting leading officials of the government and corporate sector to discover further opportunities in the country.

Dubai Business Women Council president and Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group managing director, Raja Easa Al Gurg noted in a press release yesterday, “I would like to see the embassies of UAE and Malaysia working closely to synchronise business relations and seek out investment windows for both countries.”

Currently, bilateral trade between UAE and Malaysia is estimated at US$6.4 billion.

Abu Dhabi Business Women Council president and Al Jaber Group chief operating officer, Fatima Obaid Al Jaber urged Malaysia to create more visibility for the country’s investment environment, especially in places such as the UAE where investors are keen to tap into the Malaysian market.

Muslim travelers in Dubai will soon have another Crescentrated Hotel to choose from during their travels: The Millennium Plaza Hotel in Dubai has been awarded a Crescentrating of 5 and includes Halal-friendly facilities such as Halal food, the availability of prayer rugs, prayer times, as well as the direction of the Qiblah highlighted in their
rooms.
Opening its doors to the public in December 2011, this five-star luxury hotel is located in the heart of Dubai on one of the city’s most prestigious roads – Sheikh Zayed Road. The hotel boasts of a 65 storey tower comprising 413 hotel rooms and offers modern alternatives for conference halls and meetings rooms.

Having been awarded a Crescentrating of 5, Dubai’s newest hotel has several Halal-friendly facilities and services which Muslims guests are sure to value. It is an Alcohol free Hotel, with a sumptuous range of Halal food served in its restaurants. Separate male and female prayer rooms can be accommodated upon request.

“The Millennium Plaza Hotel is keen on going the extra mile to make sure our Muslim guests are comfortable, whether they are traveling for business or for leisure. The Crescentrating of our Hotel shows that we have integrated many Halal-friendly facilities and services in our offer in addition to the fantastic service and hospitality we guarantee,” said Binu Varghese, the Director of Sales and Marketing at Millennium Plaza Hotel.

“We are excited to welcome Millennium Plaza Hotel; yet another addition to the family of Crescentrated Hotels in Dubai that we could propose to Muslim travelers around the world,” said Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of Crescentrating.

Click herefor a full list of Halal Friendly services and facilities provided by Millennium Plaza Hotel.

About Crescentrating:  Crescentrating Pte Ltd. is a Singapore based company focused on the development of the Halal Friendly Travel market segment worldwide. Establishments are crescentrated on a scale of one to seven based on the services and facilities they provide to Muslim travelers. The Board of Directors and Board of Advisers of Crescentrating Pte Ltd. come from diverse backgrounds, bringing unique skills and knowledge from the Islamic Banking Industry, Halal Food Industry, Research and Consultancy, Islamic Scholarship and Corporate experience. All of them are well-established individuals with International and pioneering experience in their chosen fields.

Muslims have a very unique attribute when it comes to travel. From a very young age, like from the time they understand the 5 basic pillars of Islam, they develop the lifelong desire to travel and perform Hajj.
This not only inspired many to become some of the most pioneering explorers of the world, but they also gave rise to a whole genre of travel writing. Some of the foremost Muslim explorers like Ibn Jubair, and Ibn Batutta
left their home towns with the intention of performing Hajj and eventually set out on fascinating journeys exploring different lands and cultures.

Somehow during the good part of the last two centuries this pioneering spirit has been subdued among the Muslims. That is all set to change now. Muslim travelers are now one of the fastest growing travel segments.
In 2010, it was estimated that they spent about $90 billion USD accounting to around 9% of the total expenditure by travelers. This is set to grow to more than $200 billion USD by 2020, amounting to around 15% of the total travelers’ expenditures.

This has meant that they have become an important travel segment, whose unique requirements need to be taken into account by travel service providers in developing their services and facilities. The good news is that many service providers are keen to accommodate the needs of these consumers. However, it has also given rise to buzzwords like “Shariah compliant hotels”, “Halal travel”, “Islamic travel “, “Halal hotels” etc. with none of them being fully defined as to what they actually mean.

This was the one of the primary reasons for the launch of Crescentrating. The rating system developed by Crescentrating allows the travel services and facilities to be rated based on the facilities they provide to cater to the needs of the Halal
conscious travelers. Through Crescentrating the service provider can choose what level of Halal friendly services that they are willing and able to accommodate. At the same time, it allows Muslim travelers to make an educated choice when
planning their trips, based on the level of Halal friendly facilities they are comfortable with.

The hotel Crescentrating is based on scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being the highest rating. The areas considered in the rating includes the level of Halal food services offered, prayer information/facilities, ease of use of water in the washrooms, ability to cater to the specific needs during Ramadan, the level of non-Halal activities in the hotel, and availability of recreational facilities with privacy for males and females.

Hotels rated 1 to 3 at minimum have information on Halal food and prayer available, while a hotel rated 4 or 5 will have some level of Halal food services in the hotel among other things. Hotels rated 6 and 7 are very specialized hotels serving
only Halal food, alcohol free, night club free, family friendly TV channels  and having other nice to have Halal friendly services and facilities. Hotels that wish to get a Crescentrating and be listed on its website have to agree to allow for onsite audits.

During the coming months, Crescentrating will launch rating services for theme parks, hospitals, airlines, etc. and eventually cover all services and facilities related to travel and hospitality.

www.Crescentrating.com is a specialized website focused on catering to the needs of the Muslim travelers worldwide. From listing of travel services that are rated by Crescentrating to destination guides, airport guides, etc. these help Muslim travelers make Halal friendly choices when planning their trips.

More destinations and travel services have realized the need to include the Halal conscious travelers’ needs in their services and products.  The travel service providers have years of experience catering to the changing needs of consumers by adjusting their products. As such, for them, Muslims are just another segment to cater to. Muslim travelers, when planning their trips, also should request to have those services that will make their travel a comfortable one. With the already higher
awareness among the travel industry about the Muslim travelers, requesting for these facilities will only further increase the need for them to provide such services. Choosing Crescentrated services will let the travelers explore the  world with peace of mind, insha Allah.

Fazal Bahardeen is CEO of Crescentrating.com

Photo: Tim Tim Rose

WHILE THERE an emerging market worldwide, specifically developed in cosmopolitan societies of Europe and Southeast Asian countries to provide niche services and products in compliance with the Shariah’s dietary and other related norms that are strictly followed by most of Muslim population. The word Halal originally comes from the Arabic language and is used for every lawful object and action in the view of Islamic laws. In its literally broad meaning, it applies to all spheres of life activities including food, cloth, finance, personal care, etc. But in common terminology, its meanings are narrowed down for food and meat products. Products that are free from pork and alcohol, and meat products made according to Muslim law are called Halal. Halal markets have grown from Halal food to new areas like Halal cosmetics, Halal logistics, Halal fashion and Muslim-friendly tour and travel services. Islamic finance, relatively a mature interest-free market that caters to the Muslim consumer, has estimated the total assets of Shariah-compliant products across the world around $951 billion at the end of 2008, up 25 per cent from $758 billion in 2007. It was merely about $150 billion in the mid 1990s.

India is home to more than 175 million Muslims and has the third-largest community of Muslim consumers in the world after Indonesia and Pakistan. But its market in regard to the choices of Halal-endorsed products among mainstream brands is still highly untapped. According to estimates by the Pew Research group, Muslim population in India is projected to increase from 177.3 million in 2010 to 236.2 million in 2030. And the share of Muslims in India’s population is expected to increase from 14.6% in 2010 to 15.9% in 2030.

More than one in ten of the world’s Muslims, 10.8%, will live in India in 2030, about the same as in 2010. Most Muslim households have middle-level expenditure abilities. Compared to rural Muslims, counterparts in urban areas have better economic conditions. But the masses live in rural areas. The percentage-wise distribution of urban Muslims annual per capita expenditure is 25 per cent for below Rs 5,280, 47 per cent between Rs 5,281 and Rs 10,320, 22 per cent between Rs 10,321 and Rs 19,560 and 6 per cent above Rs 19,561 in 2004-05. For the same period, the annual per capita expenditure for rural Muslims was below Rs 4,110 for 23 per cent, Rs 4,111 to Rs 5,790 for 32 per cent, Rs 5,791 to Rs 9,480 for 36 per cent and above Rs 9,481 for 9 per cent.

The majority of Muslims prefer to buy only Halal-certified products. Further, an increased awareness in recent years among Muslim consumers about what they see as religious obligations has expanded the demand for Halal items. Indian Muslims have 15 per cent share in the consumer market, going by their population. But keeping the constraints of their economic conditions, it is assumed that Muslim consumers have only 10 per cent share of the overall private consumption expenditure of India. Based on the share of Muslims, the estimated consumption is shown in the accompanying table.

BESIDES THE domestic market, India is a major hub for export of meat and processed products to Muslim countries. Malaysia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Jordan and Oman are among the top ten importers of Indian meat while the UAE was a major destination for processed food from India in the year 2009-10. Halal-tagged products would attract Muslim consumers in overseas markets especially the Middle East and Arab regions, which are major trade partners with India.

Muslims are permitted to use products with vegetarian logos from India by default since these do not contain Haram, the opposite of Halal, elements. To certify that products are authentic Halal, it is necessary to regard the processed and contaminated products where the ambiguity of Haram ingredients is high due to change in shape. It is pertinent to note that introduction of the Halal tag with conventional products is not an identity campaign for Muslims but only intends to include Muslim consumers who might have been left out due to religious limitations.

Despite all this, there are no serious investors and promoters for Halal-endorsed products in India. Al Kabeer, Allanasons, Alhind and Vinkeys are major players in Halal meat processing in India with a variety of products under their respective brands. Now, Intertek, a global leader in quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries, is extending its food certification expertise to include Halal certification in India. It is the first initiative by a multinational company to introduce Halal business in India.

Apart from the Halal food market, Islamic finance is another highly discussed sector in India for Halal financial services. Indian Muslims are reluctant to participate in banking and financial activities due to prohibition of interest-based transactions in Islam. The Bombay Stock Exchange has launched a first of its kind index for Shariah- compliant companies with the intention to increase investments from Indian Muslims. After the non-banking financial company Al Baraka Financial Services Ltd., by the Kerala government, this is the second sincere effort by a government department to introduce the Shariah compliance option among mainstream financial institutions. However, several private broker companies are also offering Shariah-compliant investment portfolios in India.

Shafeeq Rahman is a professional researcher on India-centric socioeconomic and political databases.
rahman.shafeeq@gmail.com

Al-Kanhal made the comments while announcing that his organization has received Royal approval to sponsor next year’s First International Conference for Halal Food and Drugs Monitoring. “Due to the Kingdom’s position in the Muslim World, it has to take serious steps to lay down regulations and controls for halal food, which many societies consume,” Dr. Al-Kanhal said.

It is the religious duty of the Kingdom to do so because many Muslims around the world trust what the Kingdom says about halal food, he added.

The conference will focus on several topics, the most important of which are technical and religious, Dr. Al-Kanhal said. “We hope that there will be a combination of religious and technical views since halal food is a complex issue,” he said. “Halal does not refer to the way animals are slaughtered only, but also to the process of manufacturing as well as food additives. The efforts of Muslim scholars and food experts should be combined.”

Ibrahim Al-Mehaiza, a SFDA official, said that the halal concept includes food additives, some of which might contain banned material from dead animals, alcohol or pork fat. “We have six laboratories and special units that can detect alcohol and banned food additives,” he said. “We seek to build a main laboratory for all Muslim countries to evaluate any food if there is uncertainty.”

About 500,000 consignments of food arrive to the Kingdom every year, he added, and the SFDA has always been vigilant about banned ingredients and has not found any banned ingredients.

The organization has demanded that plastics used in food packaging should have what it called food-grade stamps in English on them. Packaging material includes wrapping material, plastic, metal, glass, and other items such as glasses, cups, spoons, forks, knives and straws.
Some importers said that they will discuss the demand with concerned authorities before taking any steps. Some of these importers said they have suffered great financial losses because their imported goods were banned at ports of entry.

INDONESIA has announced it will issue permits for the importation of 180,000 cattle and foreshadowed a campaign to upgrade the standards of its slaughterhouses.

The release of the permits for so many beasts just two days after Australia lifted its month-long suspension of the live cattle trade was welcomed by industry figures and surprised some insiders with its speed.

The suspension of the trade, worth $320 million last year, was prompted by disturbing footage obtained by activist group Animals Australia showing Australian cattle being mistreated in Indonesian abattoirs.

”We will improve all of our abattoirs,” said Indonesia’s Co-ordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa at a joint press conference with Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd yesterday.

”We, of course, would welcome the use of new devices that meet the halal standard. This is what we emphasised.” The comments suggest that Indonesia is prepared to allow a new influx of stun guns into its abattoirs, as long as they are halal.

That is, they don’t actually kill the cattle but render them unconscious before they are killed by a knife to the throat.

Mr Rudd welcomed the issuing of the import permits for 180,000 cattle. However, the quota will not be filled entirely with beasts from Australia. Indonesian importers have been actively looking for other countries to supply them with cattle since the ban was in place.

Mr Hatta played down any suggestions there had been a serious rupture in ties between the two nations. ”The bilateral relationship of two countries has ups and downs, just like a love story. But the spirit is that both countries will always stay together,” he said.

Under Australia’s new regime, export permits will be issued only to Australian transport ships that can prove the cattle will be sent to abattoirs that meet world standards and can be monitored closely.

Australia believes there are 25 abattoirs in Indonesia that meet world standards, although local importers believe the number could be as high as 35.

International animal welfare standards do not require that cattle be immobilised with stun guns before they are killed. Fewer than 10 Indonesian abattoirs use stun guns.

Following the issuing of the import permits and the end of Australia’s ban, major exporter Elders will likely begin bringing cattle to Indonesia on August 1.

However, other companies will take longer to obtain the necessary independent audit and organise the paperwork.