The Commerce Ministry of Thailand has set up a plan to boost exports of halal foods to US$10 billion by 2014, accounting for 10 per cent of the total food export value, up from 4.3 per cent at present.

After a meeting with the Centre of Deep-South provinces management, Deputy Commerce Minister Natthawut Saikua said the ministry is also targeting increased halal food sales in the South.

The ministry will integrate the halal food-supply chain and promote the setting up of halal food-franchise businesses to trade both in the local and overseas markets.

The ministry will also cooperate with other government agencies to allocate areas for selling halal foods such as at airports, bus terminals and train stations.

According to the ministry, about 3,000 halal food manufacturers are operating in the Kingdom.

*This article was extracted from an article published by The Nation. Read the original article here.