China’s halal food firm eyes local partnership

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Halal poultry is one of the main products that the firm wants to export to Turkey. Hürriyet photo

Luoyang Yizong Islamic Food’s General Manger Guan Qunsheng has said the company is considering forming a partnership with a local Turkish company to enter the halal food market in Turkey.

“After conducting a series of market analyses in Turkey, if we are able to come up with a positive outcome, we will considering opening our own market chain in Turkey,” Qunsheng told Anatolia news agency.

He said China has a population of over 20 million Muslims and that the halal sector is well known in China.
The company wants to enter the Turkish market to introduce Turks to their beef, lamb and poultry products, as well as their own specialty products.

“We especially want to import the technology used in Turkey’s meat sector to China. We think our products are compatible with Turkish tastes and we are thinking of forming a local partnership,” he said.

The European and U.S. economic crisis has had an impact on China and for this reason the country is trying to diversify into new markets, according to Qunsheng.

“As a halal food producer, we know Turkey is a huge market given its population,” he said.

“The fact that Turkey is so close to the European markets, is an advantage for us,” he continued.
Initially, Luoyang Yizong Islamic Food plans to bring the packaged foods by sea to Turkey for sale, but a factory in Turkey could later be opened if conditions are conducive and there is enough demand.
Qunsheng also said he was very impressed by the quality of Turkish olives and olive oil, and could consider importing Turkish olive oil to sell in their market chain in China.

Luoyang Yizong Islamic Foods currently exports to Malaysia, where its products are very much in demand. The company hopes to receive the same welcome from Turkey.