Vietnam tuna exports to halal markets rise, but more supporting policies needed
HANOI: The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (Vasep) said that the country's tuna exports to Halal markets such as the Middle East, Malaysia, Brunei are on the rise.
The association believes that the halal market is a great opportunity for the tuna industry.
Specifically, the country's tuna exports to the Middle East have been on the rise in the past four years.
Export turnover to this market has increased from US$83 million in 2021 to $113 million last year, an increase of 35 per cent.
Although geopolitical instability has affected tuna exports to the Middle East market, this market block is still highly appreciated as a potential market for Vietnamese tuna.
Tuna exports to other halal markets such as Malaysia and Brunei are also increasing, by 36 per cent and 24 per cent respectively last year.
Currently, more than two billion Muslims live in 112 countries and territories, accounting for 25 per cent of the world's population, concentrated in Asia (62 per cent), especially in the Asean bloc.
The Asia-Pacific region, home to the world's largest Muslim population, consumes more than 63 per cent of global halal products, becoming the centre of this dynamic market.
With its strategic location, Vietnam is considered an important gateway to penetrate this large market.
Strict halal standards and complex certification systems are also significant challenges for businesses. To make it easier for Vietnamese goods to access this market, the Vietnam Trade Office in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recommended that Vietnam improve its legal system on halal, including developing national standards and certification processes in line with international requirements.
At the same time, the trade office suggested strengthening co-operation in the halal field between Vietnam and the UAE, especially the issuance of certificates according to UAE halal standards.
It was forecast that Vietnamese halal products would face fierce competition with similar products from countries with many years of experience and prestige in this field.
Vasep believes that Vietnam needs to have specific supporting policies, including prioritising budget resources for production and certification, boosting trade promotion and training specialised human resources in halal.
At the same time, there needs to be reputable intermediary organisations to help businesses in the certification process and comply with regulations in export markets.
Regarding this issue, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoF), according to their assigned functions and tasks, to do research into developing a plan to promote Halal food exports.
"This will be an opportunity for Vietnamese tuna businesses to expand their export markets in the context of difficulties in exporting to major markets such as the US and EU," noted Vasep. — Vietnam News/ANN
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Oil falls on worries over Opec+ supply, US jobs data
Brent crude futures settled at US$69.67 a barrel, down US$2.03, or 2.83%. US West Texas Intermediate crude finished at US$67.33 a barrel, down US$1.93, or 2.79%. HOUSTON: Oil prices US$2 a barrel on Friday because of jitters about a possible increase in production by Opec and its allies, while a weaker-than-expected US jobs report fed worries about demand. Brent crude futures settled at US$69.67 a barrel, down US$2.03, or 2.83%. US West Texas Intermediate crude finished at US$67.33 a barrel, down US$1.93, or 2.79%.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Reduced levy to take effect on Aug 8: Minister
PETALING JAYA: The reduced tariffs on Malaysian exports will take effect on Aug 8 following the conclusion of negotiations between both countries, said International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz. He said both governments are expected to issue a joint statement this weekend to formalise the agreement, which he described as a significant breakthrough in bilateral trade relations. 'In the tariff negotiations, we adopted a comprehensive and systematic approach in finalising Malaysia's offer to the US. 'The ministry's negotiation team worked closely with various government agencies to coordinate efforts. We also obtained Cabinet approval to present an offer to the US that we believe is fair for Malaysia.' He said the outcome reflects the strength of Malaysia-US economic ties with the US remaining Malaysia's largest export market valued at RM198.65 billion in 2024, and affirms Malaysia's credibility as a reliable trade and investment partner. Tengku Zafrul said the revised 19% tariff aligns Malaysia with regional competitors, helping safeguard national interests while maintaining export competitiveness. He also directly addressed public concerns that Malaysia may have compromised its halal standards to meet US demands, dismissing such claims as false. 'What was agreed upon was to facilitate the import process of US halal meat into Malaysia, which will be carried out by US halal certification bodies recognised by the Islamic Development Department. 'Compliance with syariah requirements remains a prerequisite for all halal meat imports, including those from the US. Any meat that does not meet the department's standards cannot be brought into Malaysia.' Tengku Zafrul thanked the US Trade Representative's Office and the US Commerce Department for their constructive cooperation. He said the ministry has been working with Bank Negara Malaysia to assess the economic implications of various tariff levels and would coordinate with other ministries to support local exporters, especially SMEs. The ministry will also promote the use of Malaysia's 18 free trade agreements to diversify export markets and align efforts with long-term national strategies, including the New Industrial Master Plan 2030, Green Investment Strategy and the National Semiconductor Strategy.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Defining moment for Malaysia's AI, data centre ambitions
PETALING JAYA: As US-led semiconductor chip restrictions tighten and regional energy costs rise, Malaysia faces a defining moment in its artificial intelligence (AI) and data centre ambitions. Industry leaders say these global disruptions could either stall the nation's progress or become the very trigger that accelerates its push for AI self-reliance and digital sovereignty. National Tech Association of Malaysia research committee chairman Woon Tai Hai said the recent US export curbs on high-end AI chips, such as Nvidia's H100 and A100, are already impacting AI-focused startups, research institutions and data centre operators in Malaysia. 'These chips are crucial for training large AI models and powering generative AI applications. Without them, we're seeing delays in deployment and increased costs for local developers,' he told SunBiz. While some companies are pivoting to older graphic processing unit (GPU) models or exploring Chinese-made alternatives, such as Huawei's Ascend chips, the transition is not seamless. Compatibility issues, software support gaps and geopolitical uncertainty make it a complex adjustment. Meanwhile, electricity and cooling costs have surged, especially with Malaysia's high ambient temperatures pushing the limits of energy efficiency in data centres. Coupled with US tariffs on Malaysian exports and the weakening ringgit, Woon said, the environment is increasingly hostile for small players. 'This triple hit of chip shortages, energy inflation and trade pressure could force some AI projects to downscale or pause altogether.' However, Woon believes this challenge presents a rare opportunity for Malaysia to reposition itself. 'We are still an attractive alternative to Singapore for hyperscalers, especially with land and energy constraints over there,' he said, pointing to recent investments such as Google's RM9.4 billion data centre in Selangor. He added that Malaysia could leverage this disruption to double down on home-grown capabilities, forge new global partnerships beyond the US-China binary and evolve from being just a digital consumer to a true AI contributor. 'This is not just a supply chain issue; it's a wake-up call. If we want to lead in AI, we can't import our way to success,' Woon stressed. Universiti Malaysia Kelantan Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Big Data director Dr Muhammad Akmal Remli warned that Malaysia's long-standing dependency on foreign hardware, cloud platforms and proprietary models has become a strategic liability. 'The AI ecosystem doesn't just rely on talent and data. It runs on compute power and right now, Malaysia doesn't own its compute destiny,' he said. Akmal called for a comprehensive localisation strategy, beginning with substantial investment in foundational AI research and development through universities, public research agencies and long-term national programmes. 'We can't just be training people to use ChatGPT. We need to train them to build the next generation of language models,' he explained. Beyond research and development, Akmal proposed the creation of strategic hardware stockpiles and investment in alternative chip architectures, such as RISC-V, Graphcore and Tenstorrent, to diversify away from US-made GPUs. 'Waiting for supply to return to normal is naive. This is structural, not cyclical,' he warned. Akmal also urged the government to champion a sovereign compute initiative, a state-supported push to establish Malaysia's own high-performance computing infrastructure. 'This is no longer a luxury. We need our own compute backbone to support AI research, secure data hosting and digital services that cannot be outsourced,' he said. While some pilot efforts exist, Akmal noted that they remain fragmented and underfunded. What's missing, he said, is a unified national AI policy that aligns research, compute infrastructure, industry application and talent development under one coordinated strategy. 'Right now, we have isolated efforts by Mimos, Mosti, universities and agencies like MRANTI, but they aren't talking to each other. We need a central AI authority or framework to synchronise this,' he said. Akmal also cautioned that Malaysia's delay in building domestic capacity will ultimately result in higher costs. 'We are not just competing for tech, we're competing for independence. The AI race is about who owns the tools of the future, and right now we're still borrowing them,' he said. Akmal believes that Malaysia still has the talent, infrastructure and investor interest to build a competitive, ethical and independent AI ecosystem, but only if it takes bold steps now. 'AI is not just about innovation anymore. It's about sovereignty, resilience and relevance in a fractured world.'
