Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH — Sheikh Abdullah bin Saleh Kamel, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, said that the halal market continues to grow and has become an opportunity for the growth of many other sectors. "The sublime status of the Two Holy Mosques makes our ambitions limitless. We want Makkah to be a source of knowledge dissemination for halal in its various industries and services,” he said during the inaugural session of the Makkah Halal Forum on Wednesday.

Sheikh Kamel unveiled plans to make Makkah and Madinah the highest brands of quality and excellence. “We want to embrace those with talent and innovation. We want to launch various products, services and initiatives on a global platform that everyone trusts, and Makkah is in everyone's hearts as it is the destination of hearts of every Muslim man and woman,” he said, and added: “The Vision 2030 has provided us with a new dimension of ambition, inspiration, and facilitation.” He emphasized that for anyone who thinks about creating a new future, regardless of their field, the halal launched from Makkah would be the best one.

Sheikh Kamel noted that the Makkah Halal Forum is a major annual event of which the planning for each edition begins as soon as the previous edition ends. “Therefore the early communication with the work team is the only way to make the participation in the next edition a success,” he pointed out.

In his speech at the opening session, Minister of Commerce Dr. Majed Al-Qasabi said that the halal sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, and the size of the halal products market, which includes food, cosmetics, and services, reached about $7 trillion in 2024. “The global halal market is expected to reach $10 trillion by 2030, with an annual growth rate of 5.5 percent. The rapid growth shows that the halal sector is not limited to Islamic countries, but has become the focus of the entire world,” the minister added