This is also our effort to make Indonesia the number one halal product producer by 2024.Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Religious Affairs Ministry's Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) has said that the Free Halal Certification (Sehati) program is among its strategies to support halal products.
"This is also our effort to make Indonesia the number one halal product producer by 2024," BPJPH head Aqil Irham said here on Tuesday.
He expressed the hope that the Sehati program would push up the number of halal products produced by domestic businesses, particularly micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Indonesia, particularly with its 64 million MSMEs, has the potential to become the largest halal products producer, he said, adding that to achieve the feat, the authority needs to address issues related to halal certification.
Strategic measures are needed to help MSMEs obtain their halal certificate as the lack of appropriate measures could lead to the halal certification process taking a painfully long time, the agency head noted.
"That also means that we can only achieve complete halal product certification after six centuries. Hence, we cannot use the normal method, and we must conceive a breakthrough. One of our breakthroughs is the free halal certification program," Irham said.
Efforts to expedite halal product certification are also a measure to catch up with Malaysia's halal industry sector, he added.
"Malaysia, according to global halal reports, is ranked first in the global halal industry for almost a decade -- this is despite (the fact that) they studied from Indonesia," he highlighted.
He also affirmed that the free halal certification program demonstrates the government's support for the development of the halal industry ecosystem, particularly as the BPJPH has provided a quota of 350 thousand free halal certificates for national businesses.
"Last July, we depleted our 25-thousand quota, and the fatwa meeting is ongoing. The second phase is open from August 24 to September 17 (2022), and 324,834 quotas (are available). Business actors are encouraged to use this opportunity," Irham remarked.
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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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