Russia sees steady rise in halal meat products

According to information from the Russian Council of Muftis, growth in the next few years will be supported by an increasing number of businesses registered to produce halal meat, along with the development of export supplies and a boost in the popularity of halal products among non-Muslim consumers, as they are traditionally perceived as better-quality products.

Jump in halal poultry exports​

A devaluation of the Russian rouble against hard currency has allowed Russian poultry manufacturers to establish exports of halal products to the Middle East and North Africa and, in the years ahead, South Asia could be added to this list, said Aydar Gazizov, director general of the International Center for Halal Standardization and Certification.

“In recent years, we have been working on export supplies, shipping halal products to the countries of the Arab-Muslim world. Last year we supplied 15,000 tonnes (t) of (primarily) halal poultry. Now we are targeting a volume of 20,000t per year,”​ said Gazizov.

“We are accredited in the Middle East and North Africa and we are going to gain accreditation in Malaysia and Indonesia, where there are about 230 million Muslims. This is a huge market, and our partners are very interested in it,”​ he added.

Before the start of the crisis in 2014 and the collapse of the Russian rouble, halal meat supplies were very low, whereas now a growing number of businesses are expressing an interest in halal. Most exporters supply poultry carcases of 1–1.3kg, according to information from the Center for Standardization.

So far, GK Resource, which exports chicken carcases, and Eurodon, which supplies turkey carcases, account for the majority of supplies. In addition to Asia, Russian companies plan to expand sales by launching exports to Europe and Iran, as the latter country opened its market to halal products from Russia this year.

“The rapidly growing Muslim population in Europe is also interested in buying meat from Russia,”​ claimed Gazizov.

Growing number of projects​

Meanwhile, a growing number of businesses have been registered to produce halal meat in recent years, both through the accreditation of existing meat production facilities to Muslim standards, and the construction of completely new farms.

For instance, in 2017, a new halal turkey farm is due to be commissioned in Ingushetia Republic, a mostly Muslim region of the country. With the investment value set at RUB3.8bn (US$61m), it will have a capacity of 10,240 tonnes (t) of meat per year, allowing the complex to almost fully meet regional demand for halal turkey.

Also Chelny-Broiler plans to open another meat processing plant with a capacity of 49,500t of meat in Tatarstan Republic in November 2016. With an investment of RUB3bn (US$50m), this facility is also set to manufacture poultry in accordance with Muslim rules.