Thailand, where Buddhism reigns, challenges Malaysia for Asia’s halal crown

Bangkok, Thailand – Wanitcha Amkham rotates her roti stall betwixt the Thai capital’s nutrient markets passim the week, hawking pan-fried dough that has been perfected successful recipes passed down generations.

Amkham is simply a Muslim and her roti, stuffed with fillings specified arsenic banana, cheese, chickenhearted and onions, are each halal.

Over the years plying her commercialized connected the streets of majority-Buddhist Bangkok, she has earned a loyal instrumentality basal among Muslim bureau workers, students and tourists.

But recently, Amkham has go acrophobic that different thoroughfare vendors are abusing the halal statement to lure unsuspecting customers.

“One time, my stall was located adjacent to a fried squid stall,” the 39-year-old thoroughfare vendor told Al Jazeera.

“I saw a halal motion astatine the stall but the seller bought nutrient laced with pork and ate it, earlier returning to selling squid without due cleaning. I asked him wherefore helium did this and helium said the halal motion helped bring much customers. He besides said it was excessively analyzable to inquire for a certified halal logo from authorities.”

Thailand is banking that its burgeoning halal manufacture volition present a boost to its tourism-reliant economy, which has struggled to bounce backmost from the COVID-19 pandemic arsenic rapidly arsenic galore of its determination peers.

Bangkok’s ambitions, however, beryllium connected the spot of Muslim countries and visitors, accidental analysts, which could beryllium enactment astatine hazard by fake halal products and gaps successful certification successful informal markets.

Wanitcha Amkham sells rotis astatine a thoroughfare nutrient marketplace successful Bangkok, Thailand [Jitsiree Thongnoi/Al Jazeera]

In July, the Thai authorities unveiled a halal manufacture enactment program aimed astatine promoting Thai products and bolstering manufacture standards.

The centrepiece of the four-year plan, which is awaiting last approval, is the constitution of a “halal valley” for producing halal goods, which officials person suggested could beryllium located successful Thailand’s Muslim-majority southernmost provinces.

“Thailand’s spot lies successful its food, beverage and agriculture sectors. But Malaysia, which has agelong promoted itself arsenic a halal hub, has gained much credibility and designation successful the Middle East marketplace due to the fact that it is simply a Muslim country,” Aat Pisanwanich, an adept connected planetary economics and advisor to Intelligent Research Consultancy Co Ltd, told Al Jazeera.

“It would instrumentality a agelong clip for Thailand to summation that benignant of assurance and designation for its halal hub drive.”

Thailand is presently location to immoderate 15,000 companies, 166,000 products, and 3,500 restaurants that are halal-certified, according to authorities figures released successful February.

After Malaysia and Indonesia, the state is the third-biggest exporter to Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries successful Southeast Asia.

During the archetypal 8 months of 2023, Thailand’s halal exports to the OIC market, including sugar, atom and frozen chicken, deed immoderate $4.1bn, according to authorities data.

While an estimated 93 percent of Thais are Buddhist, the country’s efforts to currency successful connected a increasing request for halal goods travel successful the footsteps of different countries with tiny Muslim populations.

Non-OIC countries, including Brazil, China, India, and the United States, are the biggest exporters of halal products to the market, accounting for much than 80 percent of imports, according to the 2022 Annual OIC Halal Economy Report.

The OIC study forecasts that the Muslim colonisation volition summation to 3 cardinal by 2060, oregon astir 30 percent of the planetary population.

Food vendors astatine the caller halal nutrient festival astatine a Bangkok buying promenade [Jitsiree Thongnoi/Al Jazeera]

“Thailand is the centre of supplies,” Fuad Gunsun, vice president of the Thai Muslim Trade Association, told Al Jazeera.

“Thailand arsenic a halal hub means the accumulation is done present utilizing our supplies successful bid to summation the competitiveness of the aforesaid products that tin besides beryllium produced by Muslim countries similar Malaysia, for example.”

Gunsun said that thoroughfare nutrient often falls done the cracks of the halal certification process owed to “a deficiency of understanding”, which could impact perceptions of the country’s friendliness to Muslim visitors.

In the latest Mastercard-Crescentrating Global Muslim Travel Index, Thailand ranks among the “leading” Muslim-friendly destinations successful the non-OIC class and 5th among the non-OIC destinations overall, aft Singapore, the UK, Taiwan and Hong Kong

“Thailand has made concerted efforts to pull Muslim travellers implicit the years,” the authors of the scale noted successful an accompanying report.

“By providing Halal nutrient options, pioneering successful Halal user products, and leveraging its important Muslim communities”, the study said, the state has ensured that halal nutrient is “generally available, peculiarly successful important tourism hotspots”.

“In Pratunam [Bangkok’s wholesale buying area], if operators don’t merchantability halal food, their customers, which are mostly tourists, tin beryllium reduced by half,” Gunsun said.

“When tourists get successful Thailand, they spot their spot successful the state successful presumption of inspection. Most Muslim tourists are cautious erstwhile it comes to thoroughfare food, but sometimes it happens successful buying malls arsenic well.”

Some large nutrient companies, including fashionable accelerated nutrient chains, person failed to put successful halal options, said Gunsun.

“Some fried chickenhearted chains, for example, mightiness deliberation it is simply a wasteful investment. But successful presumption of economical benefits, it is rather wrong, peculiarly erstwhile Thailand wants to beryllium the apical tourism country,” helium said.

Saha Farms, a large chickenhearted exporter, is among the businesses that person made the effort to summation halal certification.

The company, however, lone precocious accessed the Middle East owed to definite halal requirements successful the region, said Jaruwan Chotitawan, Saha Farms Group’s president of overseas income and marketing.

“Our plants person been halal-certified domestically, but we person besides been audited by the teams from Malaysia and the Middle East,” Chotitawan told Al Jazeera.

“We mean to fortify our halal branding this year, making it a portion of our selling approach, particularly successful the Middle East,” she said.

Tourists astatine an Indian edifice astatine a Bangkok buying promenade [Jitsiree Thongnoi/Al Jazeera]

For galore Thai exporters, halal certification has go a must-have seal of support for reaching customers.

Halal.co.th, a website managed by the Office of the Central Islamic Council of Thailand, lists thousands of Thai-made halal products, ranging from supplements to chilli paste, food balls, almond beverage and bubble gum.

Gunsun said Thailand could larn from Malaysia’s competitory borderline successful producing non-food halal products, specified arsenic cosmetics and clothing, successful particular.

“Malaysia besides focuses connected halal concern studies a lot, portion successful Thailand this is lagging,” helium said.

Gunsun admitted, however, that the fees to get a halal certification tin look precocious for tiny businesses specified arsenic thoroughfare nutrient vendors.

“But erstwhile vendors download the motion from the net and spot it astatine their stall, it is mendacious advertizing and it is punishable by law,” helium said.

According to Bangkok’s Islamic Affairs Committee, halal certification starts from 10,000 baht  ($300) for tiny operators, with further fees charged for periodic checks, certification hold and documentation, among different extras.

“Having a halal certificate is advisable,” Pisanwanich said, “but Thailand cannot make assurance among overseas Muslim visitors arsenic a halal hub overnight,” helium said.