Bribery, costly certification and a lack of international recognition are preventing Bangladesh from tapping the fast-growing global halal market, business leaders said on Saturday, urging the government to overhaul the country’s certification regime as it seeks to diversify exports beyond garments.
At a workshop in Dhaka, exporters alleged that obtaining halal certificates from the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) involved unofficial demands for cash and other inducements, while the absence of internationally recognised certification forced them to seek approvals abroad, raising costs and weakening competitiveness.
The concerns were raised at the “Halal Export Diversification” workshop organised by the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI), where industry leaders called for a single national halal authority to streamline certification and secure international recognition.
BCI Director Zia Haider Mithu alleged that exporters seeking halal certification from BSTI were asked to provide “cars, money and payments linked to export volumes”.
“After hearing about these costs, many foreign buyers simply ask us to print ‘halal’ on the packaging instead of obtaining the certificate,” he said, calling for halal certification to be provided free of charge.
Bombay Sweets Limited General Manager Khurshid Ahmad Farhad said companies had previously paid Tk16 lakh to Tk18 lakh for halal certification, although the charges had since been reduced.
He said Bangladeshi certificates were not recognised in Saudi Arabia because no mutual recognition agreement existed, forcing exporters to obtain certification from India, Thailand and Singapore.
BCI President Anwar-ul Alam Chowdhury (Parvez) said Bangladesh’s halal exports stood at only $850 million, compared with a global halal market valued at $3.3 trillion in 2025 and projected to reach $9.45 trillion by 2034.
With ready-made garments accounting for about 82 per cent of export earnings, Bangladesh must accelerate export diversification as it prepares for graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category, he said.
Chowdhury added that Bangladesh, the world’s third-largest Muslim-majority country, had the opportunity to establish a globally recognised “Bangladesh Halal” brand, noting that only about 20 per cent of global halal demand was currently being met.
Export Promotion Bureau Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Hasan Arif said the halal economy extended well beyond food products to sectors such as pharmaceuticals and medical devices, offering Bangladesh another avenue for export growth.
He said the Export Promotion Bureau would continue supporting exporters, but stronger coordination among government agencies was essential to build a credible, internationally recognised halal certification system.
Speakers also criticised the parallel certification systems run by BSTI and the Islamic Foundation, saying they increased costs and complexity. They urged the government to establish a unified halal authority, expand internationally accredited testing laboratories, strengthen research and workforce development, and adopt best practices from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
Industry leaders said a credible halal ecosystem could become a key pillar of Bangladesh’s post-LDC export strategy by opening access to one of the world’s fastest-growing consumer markets.
