By Zurinna Raja Adam, Business Times

June 22, 2010

PENANG'S state halal agency, PIHH Development Sdn Bhd (Halal Penang) has partnered Yemen-based Investmy International Ltd to develop three parcels of land totalling 1,215ha into a halal industrial park in Yemen.

The industrial city will be established at Aden, Al-Hodaidah and Mukalla, which are located at Yemen's coastal area. Each land measures some 405ha each.

Under the partnership, PIHH Development will provide consultancy in terms of technical support, physical infrastructure, legislative requirement and information of incentives.

Penang state councillor for religious affairs, domestic trade and consumer affairs, Abdul Malik Kassim, said Halal Penang is able to tap on the exposure, networking and cross border marketing via its partnership to help develop Yemen's Halal Industrial Park.

"The partnership allows us to market each other's park. For example, we have a cosmetic company that will establish itself in Yemen for the Middle East market and is considering setting up a factory here for the Asian market. Halal Penang will provide knowledge workers, give them training and may even set up a training establishment in Yemen," he said at the World Halal Forum in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Halal Penang is also in talks with a partner in Wales, the UK, to provide similar partnership in developing a halal industrial park there.

The group has identified the areas it wants to turn into a halal park with a land size measuring some 405ha. The plan is currently on the drawing board, but Abdul Malik declined to comment on when it will take off since the UK had recently changed its government.

Besides Yemen and Wales, the group is also in talks with representative from Medan, Indonesia and Pakistan to form partnerships in providing consultancy and other supporting services to develop a halal industrial park in the respective countries.

Located in Bukit Minyak with a land size of 52.65ha the Penang Halal Industrial Park has so far attracted RM150 million in investment from a Chinese marine biotechnology company. The company will hold its groundbreaking before the end of the year.

Three other projects that are in the midst of being finalised at the Penang Halal Industrial Park are a gelatin project with an Iranian group, an Australian group who wants to produce containers using organic products, and a biotechnology group from India.