Greece: towards a halal strategy to boost agrifood exports

The Greek government is called upon to structure a halal national strategy to better position its agrifood products on the markets of Muslim countries. This is the message carried by the Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Christos Kellas, before the National Association of Agricultural Cooperatives. According to him, Greek products combine quality, local anchoring and international attractiveness – key assets to meet the growing demand for Halal certified goods in countries like Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Malaysia or the United Arab Emirates.

The announcement was accompanied by the launch of a partnership between Mirtec Cyprus (subsidiary of the Greek organization Hellascecert) and the Halal Products Development Company, linked to the Saudi investment public fund. Objective: to lay the foundations for a national halal strategy.

With a global market that exceeds $ 2,500 billion a year and growth of more than 6 %, Halal represents much more than a religious requirement: it is now an economic lever towards high added markets. This orientation marks a strategic turning point for Greece, which seeks to diversify its outlets beyond the European Union. By investing the Halal field, Athens alignments with a global trend where certification becomes a commercial passport. But to succeed, it will be necessary to overcome challenges of structuring, training of producers and international recognition of labels. A coherent and ambitious strategy could allow Greece to position itself as a credible player on a booming market.