food
Chinese Muslims Seek to Join Global Islamic Food Industry
Local food producers in China's Muslim-dominated Ningxia autonomous region want to supply food to the 1.3 billion Muslims in the world.
Many Muslims adhere to Halal dietary restrictions, which requires food be processed and prepared according to Islamic law. Globally, it's a $2.1 trillion industry.
Ningxia, located in northwest China, is the country's third-poorest province. One-third of its six million inhabitants are Hui Muslims. Suppliers there hope to attract Muslim buyers from the Middle East and Asia to expand what is already a nearly $700 million industry locally. (Currently less than 3 percent of its halal output is sold abroad.)
Last month, local authorities organized the Muslim Food Festival and also recently held the third annual International Halal Food and Muslim Commodities Trade Fair.
China restricts Muslims to government-sanctioned and registered places of worship, and would presumably be anxious about the rise of an industry firmly tied to religious identity. But Ningxia religious leaders say for the state, economic growth appears to trump faith-related concerns.
"Stability used to be the top priority here, but now it is development," says Ma Ping of the Institute of the Hui and Islam in Ningxia. "What the government wants most is money."
And the financial prospects for Ningxia's halal food industry are already rising. Local authorities announced plans last week to launch air cargo charters that will help export food to Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Dubai beginning next year.
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