The Netherlands Business Council UAE in Dubai, together with the Halal Trade and Marketing Centre, Dubai Airport Freezone, and the Embassies of the Netherlands in KSA and UAE, are inviting BBC members to a Halal Webinar: Addressing the 2 Trillion Dollars Halal Market Opportunity on February 2nd.

The Halal market is experiencing robust growth rates. In 2021, the Muslim population spent 2 trillion dollars on Halal products and services, of which 1.2 trillion dollars were destined to consume Halal foods.

But not everything is food. Other sectors, such as Halal cosmetics or pharma, are also registering strong growth rates, and have reached valuations close to 70 and 100 billion dollars, respectively. The total expenditure on Halal products and services is expected to grow to 2.8 trillion dollars by 2025.

This fast-growing business niche represents an excellent window for companies in the Netherlands looking for expanding their business operations in the MENA region. In this process, the United Arab Emirates can be of great help in achieving that goal and contributing to generating economic opportunities in the Netherlands. The UAE plays a vital role as a global Halal trading hub, and it could work as a platform for supporting Dutch companies to grow in the Halal space. Dubai is at the center of trade for the 57 OIC countries, representing more than 300 billion dollars in Halal-related industrial sector imports in 2021. The city is ideally positioned to facilitate Netherlands companies to increase their business in the Muslim-majority countries in general, and in the MENA region ones in particular.

This business cooperation makes sense and has great potential. Both countries are highly complementary because the Netherlands has strong manufacturers producing all kinds of goods and the UAE has state-of-the-art logistics facilities and world-class business incentives, such as the ones offered by the Dubai Airport Freezone, for re-exporting Halal goods across the MENA region, where many countries are net importers and have large and increasing populations.

The economic ties between both countries are growing significantly. The UAE represents 40 percent of the Netherlands’ exports to the GCC countries. The non-oil foreign trade between the UAE and the Netherlands reached 3 billion dollars in 2020 despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on global markets.

Tentative Program:

1:00pm - 1:10pm Welcome and Opening Remarks
Mrs. Francesca Bouwman, Executive Board Member, Netherlands Business Council UAE

1:10pm - 1:25pm Dubai as a Global Trade Hub for Halal Certified Companies
Mr. Abdur Rahim, Chief Advisor to Director General, Dubai Airport Free Zone

1:25pm - 1:40pm The Rise of the Global Halal Market
Mr. Tomás Guerrero, Director, Halal Trade and Marketing Centre

1:40pm - 2:10pm Panel Discussion: Dutch Firms Experiences in the UAE Halal Market 
Mr. Erik Smidt, Agricultural Counselor Assigned to GCC, Embassy of Netherlands in KSA (moderator)
Mr. Tarek Hassan, Head of Corporate Affairs for MENA, FrieslandCampina
Mrs. Amal Al Sherif, Regulatory Affairs Manager, Rituals
Mr. Wasim Al Shaman, Managing Director, Halal Quality Control Group

2:10pm - 2:25pm Q and A

2:25pm Closing Remarks
Mrs. Francesca Bouwman, Executive Board Member, Netherlands Business Council UAE

• Date: Thursday, February 2nd
• Time: 1pm - 2.30pm
• Venue: Online
• Fee: Free

Registration:
Kindly register on or before the 1st of February 2023, by using this link:
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5374456146116551261