Deputy Government Spokesperson Radklao Inthawong Suwankiri said that the Ministry of Industry was accelerating the upgrading of the halal industry to develop Thailand as “Kitchen of the World,” promote tourism, and boost the economy.

Mrs. Radklao said that the ministry has continued its efforts to turn Thailand into a halal industrial hub in the ASEAN region under eight key measures, as follows:

1. Halal food from southern Thailand will be given a major boost as part of “soft power” and will be recommended to be served on board airlines;

2. The halal tourism industry in response to the demand of Muslim tourists will be linked with local halal food sources, such as restaurants and hotels, and halal food will be promoted in various festivals to make it better known;

3. Constraints and obstacles to the request for halal certifications will be eased, with the participation of the Thai Industrial Standards Institute;

4. Thailand will open up new halal food markets by signing memorandums of understanding with foreign countries, such as the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Türkiye;

5. Thai halal food producers will be developed, so that they will be able to produce food in response to the new Muslim generation, for instance, food for health will be promoted in modern trade outlets;

6. Thai halal networks will be created with target countries, and the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Commerce will cooperate in organizing road shows in potential markets, such as ASEAN, the Middle East, and South Asia; 

7. The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand and the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center will work jointly in developing the halal industrial estate in the South and upgrading the halal food center in Songkhla province. Halal food models will also be developed to provide knowledge for entrepreneurs;

8. The model of each group of halal food products will be arranged and developed in order to upgrade workplaces for the food industry, such as slaughterhouses and meat processing factories, so that they will meet halal standards for export. New cattle breeds with high quality will also be developed to increase potential for export to countries with high purchasing power.

The Ministry of Industry expects that the halal food industry will help increase the GDP of the industrial sector by 2 percent, with the value of about 58 billion baht.