60 global giants confirm participation in DIHAS 2006

The 60 companies include Prima Food of Malaysia, Midamar of USA, Gemfood of UK, Al Islami of UAE amongst others. The companies have wide range of interests in the Halal industry and have also specific teams working on the development of the Halal business relevant to their industry.

Mr. Abdul Kabur Ibrahim, Chief Executive Officer of Exhibitions Promotion and Management (M) Sdn Bhd of Malaysia the organisation that has conceptualised DIHAS said: 'Halal products are now gaining a global audience because of the hygiene factor, besides the 1.8 billion Muslims across the globe who would consume Halal products, we are seeing a huge demand from non Muslims in Europe and Asia for Halal products. The trend of supermarkets in UK and France having a separate Halal section is evidence to the fact that there is a huge demand for Halal products.'

He further added, 'With the Halal industry showing huge potential, we are now seeing companies looking for opportunities to carve a niche for their products in the Halal market by offering Halal variants of their existing products. DIHAS 2006 will offer a platform for these companies to showcase their products and for retailers to tap into these opportunities'

Mr. Sahba Hadipour, Regional Director and Vice-President of vLinx UAE the main sponsors of DIHAS 2006, said: 'The overwhelming response to DIHAS 2006 only further emphasises the fact that the demand for Halal is growing. The companies participating represent diverse businesses and come from around the globe with all major regions being represented here..'

He further added, 'The emergence of the Halal industry as a global business is a significant opportunity for vLinx, our current business model is designed to support global trade and has been a success across various industries. We are looking at being partners in growth to the Halal sector through our proprietary eCatalogue -Transaction engine'

Speaking on participating at DIHAS 2006, Saleh Abdullah Lootah, CEO Al Islami Foods said, 'We are looking forward to participating in this first ever Halal Summit in the UAE. The summit ensures a platform for us to even further grow the burgeoning Halal industry as well as share knowledge and insights on the Halal business with like minded organisations. The time has come for Halal producers to be more organised and to capitalise on this growing market'.
The exhibition profile includes companies from UAE, Malaysia, Korea, Pakistan, Italy, Taiwan, Brunei, Philippines, US and UK, among others, representing all kinds of food and non-food products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, beauty products, processing equipment, machinery and utensils and Halal services such as Islamic finance, travel, insurance, education etc.

The Expo is being organised by Orange Fairs and Events of Dubai and EXPAM of Malaysia. Approved by the Dubai Department of Economic Development, the event is held under the aegis and support of various international chambers of commerce, government agencies and Halal organisations from around the world.