Over six years, exports of halal products increased by 38%

Over six years, exports of halal products increased by 38%.

 We are talking, first of all, about MEAT.

In 2025, it will be ten years since RUSSIA received the first certificate for the EXPORT of halal products to the UAE. And the first halal poultry meat appeared in Russian retail back in 2002. The demand for halal products is growing not only among the Muslim population of Russia and the world; non-Muslims are also buying it. After all, halal products are rightfully considered cleaner and of higher quality.

Over the past five years, the demand for halal products (which is permitted and acceptable in Islam) in Russia has been growing by 2-3% per year, estimates Albert Davleev, president of the consulting company Agrifood Strategies.

We are talking, first of all, about meat (with the exception of pork). Now the production of halal poultry meat by different companies ranges from 1% to 10% of the total output, the expert estimates. But halal is possible in confectionery, dairy and other products. According to the general DIRECTOR of Soyuzmolok Artem Belov, the production of halal dairy products is concentrated in regions with a high share of the Muslim population. It is estimated that it does not yet exceed 1% of the total market volume.

The population's interest in halal is obvious. Firstly, the number of Muslims in Russia is growing - now there are from 24 to 27 million people in the country. Moreover, in many countries with a predominant Muslim population, commitment to the fundamentals of Islam is growing, which is also accompanied by a transition to purely halal products where possible, explains Davleev.

Secondly, an increase in the consumption of halal products is also observed among non-Muslims, since halal products are believed to be cleaner and of higher quality. This has certain technological reasons. Halal is not only about saying prayers, but, above all, about the cleanliness of the production and slaughter process.

Retail chains have also given impetus to the development of halal in recent years: they see the demand of consumers, so now almost all large retail chains have a separate shelf or even entire departments for halal products, notes Davleev.

The certification of such products is gradually being brought into order. Previously, they could be issued by almost any certifying body (and there are about 40 of them in Russia). Now the halal certification body must undergo state accreditation. And this process is not easy - you need to have a staff of certain professional employees. There are few such organizations in Russia. But this can guarantee the quality of halal products, Davleev believes.

Exports are also doing well. In general, in 2018-2023, exports of Russian halal products increased by 38%. True, according to the Agroexport federal center under the Ministry of Agriculture, the export of Russian halal products in 2023 in monetary terms decreased by 23.6% and amounted to $209.4 million. This was due to the transformation of the market for poultry meat, the main halal product. If supplies to Saudi Arabia and the UAE decreased, then to Iran they jumped 10 times. Iran has become the largest buyer of Russian lamb - this accounts for 97% of Russian lamb supplies. And Saudi Arabia is one of the main markets for our poultry meat.

As the Ministry of Agriculture explained to RG, Russia is now successfully developing cooperation in the agricultural sector with the countries of the Middle East region and is interested in further expanding trade. In addition to traditional product groups (grain and oil and fat products), Russia is significantly increasing the export of products according to halal standards. In recent years, supplies of poultry meat, beef and lamb, and chocolate confectionery have increased.

The difficulty is that our standards differ from international requirements, notes Davleev. For us, the most important export region is the Middle East (primarily the Gulf countries). In addition, Iran is interesting, but its certification system is different. Turkey and Egypt have third standards.

“Suppliers of Russian products have to comply with all these standard groups at the same time. This is not an easy task,” says Davleev. Moreover, it costs a lot of money, which increases the cost of production by 7-8%.

But if we have “rocked” the Middle East, now we have to develop another market - the countries of Southeast Asia with a gigantic Muslim population (more than 1 billion people). Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore have even stricter standards, and Russian certification bodies have already received accreditation from Malaysian bodies. We are all ready to start exporting to these countries. All that remains is to wait for veterinary permission from them, says Davleev.