Khazan, one of the Gulf’s leading producers of Halal meat food products, will invest Dh60 million ($16 million) in a new meat factory in the region.

The company also plans to break into the $16 billion Halal food market in the US, it confirmed today at Halal World Expo, the ongoing international tradeshow taking place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

“We’re planning to open our third meat factory in one of the Gulf countries and we will finalise our plans by the middle of next year after completing our research to identify the best location,” said Gerhard Vogt, Khazan’s production manager.

Khazan’s proposed factory will provide jobs for around 100 people and will be similar in size to the company’s 77,500 sq ft second manufacturing facility which opened in Sharjah in February.

The Kuwaiti-owned company will equip the new facility with the latest state-of-art meat processing equipment as it proceeds with expansion plans designed to make it the region’s biggest Halal food producer.

“We have a dynamic, young management and we have definite plans for further expansion in the region,” said Vogt.

The new Sharjah factory has quickly taken the lead from the original facility in Kuwait to grow Khazan’s exports, servicing all of the Gulf countries and also opening a new market in Syria.

As Halal World Expo entered its second day, Khazan, which makes around 100 processed chilled and frozen Halal meat products, confirmed that it is using the new trade show to seek out a US distributor.

“We’re looking to increase our exports, particularly with the opening of the new factories, and we have been examining the US market,” said Vogt. “We’re ready to begin exporting there, and we’re definitely able to supply Halal products which meet US regulatory requirements.”

“They key will be to work with a good distributor, and we’re hoping that our contacts at Halal World Expo this week will help us find the right one.”

Halal World Expo features Halal lifestyle products, including Islamic fashion, cosmetics and other healthcare products, as the demand for Halal compliant products continues to grow in the UAE.  The exhibition also give focus to Islamic Finance, which is currently worth between $200 and $500 billion annually and continues to be a consistently growing interest for financial markets across the world.

The Global Halal and Islamic Business Forum runs alongside the Halal World Expo in Abu Dhabi.  The exhibition is an annual landmark event opening the gateway for the Middle East market to the international Halal industry.—TradeArabia News Service