South of Thailand to become new hub of Muslim food

The Thai government is planning to establish a new industrial estate for production of Muslim food in Pattani province to pave the way for the South of the country to become a new center of Halal food in the region, Thai news agency TNA reported, quoting a senior academic in this southern province.

Dr. Winai Dahlan, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research of Chulalongkorn University, told TNA that it was a good move that the government would soon establish a new industrial estate for production of Halal food in Pattani, as the province and other adjacent provinces near the Thai-Malaysian border are the center of Thai- Muslim people and have potential to be a new hub of Halal food in the region.

Thai Halal food was also believed to have a bright export prospect, as the food industry in Thailand had been recognized by other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as being high standard, he said.

The government should, however, improve infrastructure necessary for facilitating the industry, and should work out to ensure adequate raw materials for local manufacturers, he suggested.

Thailand currently has less than 10% of market share of Halal food in the world market, though the Halal food market accounts for up to 20%, worth US$80 billion, of the world food market, according to Dr. Winai.