Halal-Certified Hanwoo Export to Malaysia to Bring More Vitality to S. Korea's Livestock Industry
This is according to Chung Hwang-keun, South Korea’s minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs.
In an article published on by the Korea Times newspaper, he wrote:
American writer Kate Springer once called "hanwoo," Korean beef, "the best meat on earth" after enjoying it. I am confident that Korean beef is one of the best ingredients in the world. With its excellent flavor and quality, hanwoo has and will capture the world's taste, moving towards the global market.
The inaugural contract for halal-certified hanwoo was signed in Malaysia on May 12. This made Malaysia the fourth export destination of hanwoo, following Hong Kong, Macao and Cambodia. Through the first contract, it is expected that Korea can export about 600 tons of hanwoo in one year. Hanwoo, which is 13 times the 44 tons exported last year, will appear on Malaysian people's dining tables.
In the halal market targeted at 1.9 billion people, representing 25 percent of the global population, halal certification is the most absolutely important standard. Exporting hanwoo to Malaysia, a leader in the global halal market which is recognized as an authority in halal certification, will serve as the bridgehead into other halal markets.
The signing ceremony for the first hanwoo export to Malaysia is much more than just an event. It is the achievement of seven years of quarantine negotiations for hanwoo since 2016. There were many challenges until the dedicated Korean halal slaughterhouse was approved in March. The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) had sent a letter, saying that the slaughterhouse was not eligible for approval after completing an on-site inspection. The stakeholders even had to take training sessions to broaden their understanding of halal food.
One day before the hanwoo export-signing event in Malaysia, foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) broke out in Korea. The outbreak could have interrupted the export. However, I attended the event and provided an update on the FMD outbreak and control status, as well as an explanation of Korea's traceability system, applied to hanwoo beef, for Malaysian government officials.
I also explained that the FMD-affected region is completely separated from the region that produced halal-certified hanwoo. Moreover, exporters and importers, government officials and the Korean Embassy in Malaysia, all worked hard to overcome such challenges making this achievement more meaningful and valuable.
As the new market is now open to hanwoo, the localization strategy would be critical to gain consumer confidence. The promotion of exports depends on quality control of the product. Korea is seeking to gain consumer trust in hanwoo through exports to Malaysia, by attaching a QR code to the beef products. By just scanning the QR code with a smartphone, consumers can find the locations and dates of slaughter, level of quality and place of origin in local languages. It would provide a great opportunity to promote Korea's excellent and organized livestock traceability system in local markets.
Now is the time for hanwoo to go global. The Korean government has been exerting efforts to expand the hanwoo exports by organizing export council meetings from February this year to collect feedback from producers and distributors and improve quarantine policies for exports. It will make full preparation for the control of animal diseases in Korea to ensure there is no problem on the export front. Hanwoo farms and distributors will make efforts to control quality so that global consumers can trust the products.
There is a saying, "Well begun is half done." The first halal-certified hanwoo to Malaysia will bring more vitality to Korea's livestock industry and also lay the foundation for the globalization of hanwoo. The government will continue working together with the hanwoo industry so that our beef can gain culinary attention from the world.
Source: koreatimes.co.k
