World meat industry news

By 2030, compared to 2020, the Russian Federation can increase the export of halal products to the countries of the Persian Gulf and Egypt by more than 6 times, Andrey Kucherov, head of the department for strategic communications and promotion of agricultural products at the Agroexport center, said at a round table as part of the international forum "World quality day 2022".

"Russian exports of halal products to the Gulf countries, as well as to Egypt, reached $116 million in 2020. The main share was confectionery - 59% and meat products - 40%. It is expected that in 2030 the volume of Russian exports of halal products to these countries will exceed $700 million, that is, it will grow by more than 6 times," he said.

According to him, meat products have a special potential. "The meat industry is actively developing in Russia. In addition, we have about 20 million Muslims, which creates domestic demand for halal meat. It is produced up to 10% of the total production of poultry, beef and lamb," Kucherov specified.

The key markets for the supply of halal products are Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

According to Kucherov, Saudi Arabia imports meat products worth more than $1.2 billion a year, dairy - $670 million, confectionery - more than $1.1 billion. than $300 million.

"In order to realize the export potential of Russian halal products, Agroexport initiated the development of a strategy for its promotion to the markets of the Middle East and North Africa. We came to the conclusion that promoting Russian halal products as halal does not make sense in this region. The consumer there a priori considers all halal products," he said. "Therefore, promotion should be based on the national certification system and the image of this system. The tools necessary for the quality work of the certification system: traceability, the presence of certifying authorities within the country."

According to him, the promotion of halal products can receive additional impetus through the creation of a national umbrella brand. Thus, he noted, consumers in Saudi Arabia are not sufficiently aware of Russian products and do not have a stable positive image of Russia as a food producer. "In this situation, the launch of an umbrella national brand can help raise awareness and create a sustainable positive image of Russian food among Saudi consumers," he said.

According to the presentation of the center, the size of the market for halal food products in the Middle East and North Africa is $441 billion a year.

The total demand for such products in the world is estimated at $1.3-1.4 trillion per year. By 2025, demand could grow to more than $1.7-2 trillion. Moreover, as Kucherov noted, the demand for halal food products is growing not only in Muslim countries, but also in China, the USA, and Japan, since halal is perceived as a sign of quality and safety.