Türkiye is the 17th largest economy in the world, with a recorded GDP of USD 1.3 trillion in 2024, marking a 3.2 percent increase from the previous year. As a bridge between Europe and Asia, Türkiye provides access to a combined market of one billion consumers from the European Union (EU) and Türkiye. With approximately 99.2 percent of its population being Muslim, there is a strong and growing demand for Halal food and beverage products in the Turkish market.

Malaysia has a strong bilateral trade relationship with Türkiye, with total trade reaching USD 5.28 billion in 2024. Trade between Malaysia and Türkiye has strengthened significantly after the implementation of the Malaysia- Türkiye Free Trade Agreement (MTFTA) in 2015, which eliminated most tariffs on Malaysia exports to Türkiye. Malaysia’s top five exports to Türkiye include iron and steel, palm oil and palm oil-based agriculture, textiles, apparels and footwear, manufactures of metal, and electrical and electronics.

Malaysian businesses planning to export to Türkiye must ensure full compliance with local regulations and standards. All products entering the country with Halal claims or those intended to be marketed as Halal must be certified exclusively by organisations accredited by Türkiye’s Halal Accreditation Authority (HAK) accredited organisations. Non-compliance with Halal regulations may result in penalties ranging from a minimum of 228,071.50 TL to a maximum of 2,280,715 TL. It is important to note that simply declaring ‘no lard’ or ‘no alcohol’ on the product packaging does not qualify as a valid Halal declaration. Besides that, all food products exported to Türkiye must be labelled in the Turkish language, either printed on the packaging or through an additional language sticker.

Useful Links

1. JAKIM Foreign Halal Certification Body
2. Halal Accreditation Agency Türkiye
3. GIMDES
4. KAS Uluslararası Sertifikasyon Hizmetleri (KASCERT)

For enquiries, please contact:

MATRADE Istanbul
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References
HDC Webinar (Navigating the Successful Halal Market Entry: The Republic of Türkiye)