By Tony Goodger, policy director, AIMS
A recent online article caught my eye. It was published by the Russian news agency TASS: “Russian agriculture exports to markets of largest Islamic states to exceed $26 billion by 2030”.
TASS is not one of my usual sources for stories though given the current geo-political tensions and the threats of super-tariffs against countries who buy from Russia, maybe they should be. That will set the alarm bells ringing at GCHQ!
“The high capacity and stable growth of demand enable us to set ambitious goals to boost food exports to Islamic countries. We estimate the volume of supplies of Russian agriculture products to the markets of the largest Islamic countries by 2030 at over $26 billion,” said the head of the “agroexport federal center”, Ilya Ilyushin, speaking at an economic conference.
That Russia should hold an annual economic forum purely aimed at Islamic consumers isn’t a surprise given that several markets neighbour the country.
Ilyushin went on to say, “As a result of the rapid population growth, 60% of Muslim consumers are young people under 30 years old, which makes the demand for halal products quite fluid, as young people always want to try something new and original”. Before noting that 25% of the world’s population now follow Islam, a figure that will grow to over a third in the coming decade.
In 2024, Russia’s halal food exports increased 80% compared with the previous year, reaching US$382 million with poultry accounting for US$211 million (55%) and showing a 101% increase on 2023.
The main importing countries are listed as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran and with the help of agricultural attachés based in other Islamic countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Turkey, I for one am convinced that Russian Halal poultry is a huge growth opportunity for Putin to earn overseas currency to help fund the war in Ukraine.
But wait a moment, isn’t the UK meant to be friends with most of the above?
Looking at the current list of UK Export Health Certificates, poultry meat for the UAE is “active”, Saudi Arabia is currently “on hold”, whilst there are no poultrymeat EHCs in place for Malaysia, Iran, Algeria, or Egypt whereas Turkey allows UK poultry-based products and “as a temporary measure” they may allow poultrymeat to be imported on EHC 6169, Fresh meat, meat preparations and meat products of non-bovine origin.
As regards Indonesia with it’s 229 million Muslim consumers you can, if you wish, export a rhinoceros or bovine semen, but poultrymeat? Nope.
In November, Saudi Arabia will be hosting it’s annual Halal Expo. Buyers from across the world will meet with and no doubt sample a wide range of Halal consumer products as well as discuss trade in Halal pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and financial services and yet, the UK at present, don’t appear to be attending.
Why? Because successive governments have become so hung up on the issue of stun verses non-stun that they have closed their minds to what in total is a market estimated to be worth US$3 trillion per annum.
Say the word “Halal” to almost anyone in Defra and DBT and it drifts in one ear and out of the other completely untroubled by the bit in the middle.
So, the pariah of the East, Russia, will no doubt continue to grow in one of, if not, the most valuable poultry market opportunities across the globe. Countries where the UK should be trading all because of what I believe to be a mind block to a five-letter word, Halal.