Director General of the Pakistan Halal Authority (PHA), Akhtar Bughio says the authority is taking concrete measures to promote trade and commerce of Pakistan’s Halal products in the national and international markets.

In an exclusive interview with News and Current Affairs Channel of Radio Pakistan this afternoon (Wednesday), he said the authority plans to control food items at the import and export stage for ensuring quality and Halal ingredients of the products.

He said the authority has also set a target to make Pakistan a trend setter in the Global Halal Industry through continuous improvement and innovations by assuring global community's trust and confidence in Halal products and services.

Replying to a question, he said Pakistan Halal Authority was established under Ministry of Science and Technology through an Act with the mandate to promote trade and commerce in Halal articles. Akhtar Bughio informed that the authority is also responsible for coordinating with national and international organizations for strengthening the Halal sector, and promoting and encouraging establishment of libraries and laboratories for the purpose of developing Halal sector.

Akhtar Bughio said the authority will soon establish its regional offices in different locations to examine the Halal status of the products.  He said all imported, exported and manufactured products shall be made traceable by introducing QR codes where customers and consumers will have access to know the detailed information of the products being Halal or Haram.

Talking about PHA infrastructure and the provision of halal meat to the public, he said all slaughterhouses across the country will be registered and certified from PHA, adding that the authority is also working to facilitate slaughterhouses for business growth. The Director General said PHA would also build public-private collaborations to explore business opportunities.

To a question, he said the worth of Halal trade in the international market is approximately of trillion dollars, adding that mostly non-Muslims countries are playing a leading role in Halal trade. He informed that the scope of the Halal sector covers a wide range of items such as food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food supplements.

Shedding light on export of Halal articles and process, the Director General said no article or process shall be imported into Pakistan with the description of being a Halal article unless it has been certified as such by the Accredited Halal Certification Body in Pakistan or the exporting country.

Commenting on the export of meat and other halal products, he said it is high time for Pakistani business to compete and raise standards of Pakistani products and services. Akhtar Bughio also urged the business community to meet up international requirements for getting certifications as no country can compete in the global market without compliance to importing country requirements.

Later, he also visited National News Room (NNR) and Social Media Section of Radio Pakistan and interacted with the editorial staff.