Southeast Asia is a key producer and consumer of halal food products in the world. Photo credit: iStock/LeoPatrizi.
The Philippines is vying to become a major player in Southeast Asia’s thriving halal food industry. The southern island of Mindanao, where majority of Muslim Filipinos live, is leading this initiative. It is being developed as the country’s halal hub because of its proximity to large halal markets in the region and halal ecosystems in the BIMP-EAGA subregion.
Southeast Asia is a key producer and consumer of halal food products in the world. The region has more Muslims than the Middle East, with Indonesia having the world's largest Muslim population.
Last month, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) announced the entry of Malaysian food brand Abang J in the Philippines. It is one of the outcomes of the Philippine Business Mission to Kota Kinabalu last February, which was organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)–Mindanao and MinDA.
Jetsin Sdn Bhd, a grocery and frozen food distributor in Kota Kinabalu, developed the Abang J line of products, which include halal-certified ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook meals.
Through a partnership with local firm 12 Fold Ventures Corporation, Abang J is expected to open business opportunities for the cities of Davao and General Santos in Mindanao, said MinDA. These cities are being positioned as halal food distribution centers because of their strategic location and expanding consumer base.
A national priority
The Philippines has made the development of the halal industry a strategic national priority under the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023–2028. The government envisions a sustainable halal ecosystem that can attract foreign investments, support small businesses, and boost food security. Government agencies have been mobilized to provide halal certification assistance, develop cold-chain and logistics infrastructure, harmonize national halal standards, and strengthen trade linkages with international markets. In 2024, the Philippine Halal Industry Development Strategic Plan was released and a National Halal Industry Development Office was created.
The country launched its “Halal-Friendly Philippines” campaign and joined the Saudi International Halal Expo and the Abu Dhabi Food Expo for the first time last year. Participation in trade expositions generated 7.9 billion pesos ($140 million) in 2024. The target is to double revenues this year.
The country’s plans to strengthen its halal industry is aligned with the development agenda of BIMP-EAGA to support high-value food industries, which include the halal food industry. All four BIMP-EAGA countries are developing their halal industries to seize opportunities in a fast-growing global Islamic economy estimated at $ 2.3 trillion in 2022.
At the 2025 Philippine Halal Trade and Tourism Expo in Davao last month, MinDA Secretary Leo Tereso A. Magno talked about positioning Mindanao as a vital halal hub through strengthened partnerships, enhanced cultural understanding, and regional collaboration under the BIMP-EAGA framework. The cooperation initiative can help Mindanao develop a halal value chain and enhance halal certification of Philippine-made products.
In August last year, chambers of commerce of BIMP-EAGA countries agreed to enhance trade and investments in the BIMP-EAGA and support in particular the development of the halal industry in the subregion.
Halal ecosystems in BIMP-EAGA
Brunei Darussalam has a strong halal ecosystem with certification standards considered to be among the best in the world. The Brunei International Airport has received certification as a halal-compliant terminal with halal auditors who ensure that halal cargo is processed and managed throughout the supply chain in full compliance with the general principles of Shari'ah.
Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines signed a memorandum of understanding on halal export development and promotion in 2017. This includes working toward mutual recognition of halal standards.
Malaysia plans to grow its halal industry to $113.2 billion by 2030 from $68.4 billion in 2018 by strengthening an ecosystem of support for producers and service providers. In 2023, the country ranked first again in the Global Islamic Economy Indicator (GIEI), a composite weighted index that measures the overall development of the seven Islamic economic sectors: Islamic finance, halal food, Muslim-friendly travel, modest fashion, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and media and recreation.
The Philippines’ Trade and Industry Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque has asked Malaysia’s halal certifying authority, the Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM), to establish a halal certifying body in the Philippines this year to boost the local halal industry.
Indonesia is also enhancing its halal ecosystem under the 2025–2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN). The country ranked third in the GIEI index in 2023. Its halal exports are estimated at more than $50 billion in 2024.
Indonesia and the Philippines are also exploring greater cooperation in the halal sector, including halal certification collaboration.