(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-10-30 14:48

NANNING - Muslim food produced in northwestern China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has a bright prospect in Southeast Asia as it has been selling well there these years, a trade official of the region said here Tuesday.

"Our food exported to Malaysia and Indonesia is very popular and can hardly meet local demand," said Deng Kuan, deputy head of Ningxia's commerce department.

Ningxia, where Muslims account for 35 percent of its population of 5.9 million, produces and processes a wide variety of Muslim food including mutton, dairy product and wheaten food." We now export more than $20 million of Muslim food a year," Deng said at an investment promotion forum during the China-ASEAN Expo, which attracts thousands of businessmen from China and member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to the southern city of Nanning. The Muslim food industry is an important pole of economic growth in Ningxia. It has a strong competitive edge and huge development potential in both domestic and international markets, he said.

"Sixty-five percent of the population in Malaysia is Muslim. It is not only a big consumer market, but also an ideal transit port for Ningxia's Muslim food export to the Middle East," said Wong Ming Sing, a Malaysian trade expert.

Deng said Ningxia and Malaysian are working on schemes of inspection and accreditation for Muslim food imports and exports.