Qatar Chamber Board Member Dr Mohamed bin Jawhar Al-Mohammed meets with a Malaysian official during the Global Halal Summit in Kuala Lumpur. | Qatar Chamber

Qatar Chamber Strengthens Halal Sector Links at Malaysia International Showcase

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The chamber’s statement outlined how the delegation attended the 22nd edition of the Malaysia International Halal Showcase, which ran from September 23 to 26 in the Malaysian capital. Dr Mohamed bin Jawhar Al-Mohammed toured the exhibition alongside officials from the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation and conducted multiple meetings with Malaysian and international companies as well as organisations. He held direct talks with H.E. Norshahrin bin Hamidon, president of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia, and Dato’ Dr. Sirajuddin bin Suhaimee, director-general of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia.

Discussions in those meetings concentrated on expanding economic and trade cooperation between Qatar and Malaysia while identifying avenues to build private sector partnerships in food industries, halal products, logistics, technology and investment, the Qatar Chamber reported. Al-Mohammed commended the established economic and trade relations between the two countries and underlined significant untapped potential for closer collaboration among their business communities. The chamber added that its involvement demonstrated rising Qatari business interest in the halal economy, which now spans pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, tourism, logistics, technology and packaging in addition to food and beverages. “The chamber’s participation in the expo reflects the growing interest of the Qatari business community in the global halal economy, which now extends beyond food and beverages to sectors including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, tourism, logistics, technology and packaging,” Al-Mohammed said in the statement.

According to the chamber, the Malaysia International Halal Showcase functions as a key platform for linking producers, exporters, importers, investors and buyers worldwide. Participation enables the body to broker partnerships for Qatari enterprises, broaden trade volumes and pursue joint investments along halal value chains. The current trip continues a pattern of engagement that includes the chamber’s attendance at the 2019 edition of the event, where it promoted Qatar’s bid to host a future halal conference and exhibition in Doha.

A DinarStandard study featured in the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2025/26 determined that the Islamic economy across six consumer sectors stood at $2.60 trillion in 2024 and is forecast to expand to $3.56 trillion by 2029. The assessment retained Malaysia in the top spot of the Global Islamic Economy Indicator, followed by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Bahrain. It additionally recorded $421.5 billion in halal-related imports among OIC economies, signalling prospects for greater intra-OIC production sharing and commerce.

Figures shared by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation placed bilateral trade between Qatar and Malaysia at QR402.6 million during the first two months of 2026, after QR3.10 billion across 2025 and a high of QR5.76 billion in 2024. Qatar supplies the Southeast Asian nation chiefly with petroleum products, chemicals and petrochemical derivatives that feed manufacturing and energy needs, while Malaysia provides machinery, electrical items, processed foods and palm oil. These established flows create a foundation for expanding the halal component within overall exchanges between the private sectors.

Al-Mohammed stressed in his remarks that Qatari firms are showing heightened attention to the broadening halal landscape as they seek fresh entry points into global markets. The chamber continues to arrange connections that pair Qatari businesses with certified Malaysian suppliers and collaborators across multiple segments. Such steps support wider objectives to shift trade composition toward higher-value segments of the halal economy beyond conventional commodity exchanges.

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Financial Arabia NewsDesk is the desk responsible for Financial Arabia's daily news coverage, monitoring and reporting developments across the Gulf from official sources, including national news agencies and government communications. Its focus is accurate, timely and factual coverage of the region.