The Government is striving to push Thailand into becoming a halal industrial hub in the ASEAN region and to make Thai halal food and products better known in the world market.

Before the Cabinet meeting on 27 February 2023, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Srettha Thavisin viewed a display of halal food and products, arranged by the Ministry of Industry at Government House, in order to promote Thailand’s halal industry.

The Prime Minister commended the beautiful designs of Muslim clothes on display and suggested that manufacturers expand their businesses via online markets to offer more alternatives for both traders and buyers. Apart from generating more income for local communities and adding value to halal products, this would also help publicize Thai cultural assets.

On this occasion, the Prime Minister also viewed a demonstration of cooking Thai halal food, with the use of ingredients from the five southern border provinces, namely Yala Pattani, Narathiwat, Satun, and Songkhla, which have a large Muslim population.

Previously, the Ministry of Industry set out key measures to upgrade Thailand’s halal industry. For instance, Thai halal food will be given a boost in various festivals, and the halal industry will link with the tourism sector. Thailand will open up new halal food markets by signing memorandums of understanding with foreign countries. Road shows will also be organized in potential markets, such as ASEAN, the Middle East, and South Asia.

Thailand has great potential for becoming a regional halal hub because of its abundance of raw materials to produce halal food in response to the demands of many countries worldwide.

Statistics show that, from January to November 2023, Thailand exported halal food products worth about 217 billion baht, representing a growth rate of 2.6 percent over the same period of the previous year. There are currently more than 15,000 halal food producers in Thailand, with more than 3,500 restaurants.  

Thailand also has great opportunities to increase its halal exports to both Muslim and non-Muslim countries.