South Korea's government said Wednesday it will step up efforts aiming at accepting its local halal certification in Muslim countries in order to boost the country's food exports.
The halal authorization given by the Korea Muslim Federation (KMF) is currently acknowledged in Malaysia and Singapore. An official at the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said that the government is seeking a cross certification of local halal certificates in Muslim countries by the end of the fourth quarter this year and to launch an aggressive marketing campaign for South Korean halal foods, the official Yonhap news agency reported. 
The ministry estimates the halal food market encompassing the Islamic population of 1.8 billion will grow US$1.6 trillion by 2020. The agricultural product exports to the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference rose 8.8% to $913 million last year from a year earlier. This accounts for 14% of the total agricultural goods shipments abroad, according to the Ministry's data. 

Source: QNA