The activity was organized by member countries of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference), according to a statement from Indonesian Embassy in Ankara received on Sunday.
The 9th Halal Expo activities were held simultaneously with the 8th World Halal Summit. This year, the activity takes the theme "For a Sustainable Trade: Explore All the Aspects of the Growing Global Halal Industry".
The activity was officially opened by the Minister of Finance of Turkey, Nureddin Nebati and attended by the Secretary General of the OIC, ministers and related officials (24/11).
The opening ceremony was attended by around 3,000 VIP guests at the Istanbul Expo Center, with a number of ceremonial events.
The Indonesian Coordinating Minister for the Economy was present virtually. Indonesian representatives present at the opening included the Indonesian Ambassador to Turkiye, Head of the National Standardization Agency, Kukuh S. Achmad and the Director General of Consumer Protection and Trade Order (PKTN) of the Ministry of Trade, Veri Anggrijono.
The representatives of Indonesian halal regulatory entities, LPPM MUI and BP Tanjung Pinang as industrial areas that support the halal industry, are also present.
"Indonesia fully supports sustainable trade in advancing the halal industry and we would like to create an ecosystem to support Indonesia to become a Global Halal Hub," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartanto said during the opening.
In addition, the Coordinating Minister also invites OIC countries to collaborate with each other to advance the halal industry.
"The driving force for the world halal industry is demographic growth and increasing per capita income among Muslims. However, the current situation of the energy crisis and food crisis requires the halal industry to continue to survive amidst disrupted global supply chains.
Indonesia as a raw material producer can become a support for a sustainable world halal trade ecosystem" Indonesian Ambassador to Turkiye Dr. Lalu Muhammad Iqbal said.
After the opening, the Turkish Finance Minister and the VIP guests officially open the Halal Expo activities and tour the exhibition area.
The Indonesian Pavilion was attended by 38 exhibitors who joined 12 large stands from Ministries/Agencies and Provincial/Regional Trade Offices.
In the 323 m2 pavilion, Indonesian halal products introduced include textiles, halal food, halal cosmetics and world halal medicines. In addition to various halal products, the Indonesian pavilion also features LPPM MUI as an institution for halal certification in Indonesia and BP Tanjung Pinang as an industrial area that supports the halal industry.
Meanwhile, the Economic Affairs of the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara, Rahmawati Alih said that this year was the second time the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara participated in the event. Enthusiasm from business and regional actors seem to increase.
"In line with the improving condition after the COVID-19 pandemic and the optimism about the development of the global halal industry, the Indonesian pavilion can display more exhibitors with higher quality and various products this year," she said.
The annual OIC Halal Expo exhibition is organized by the Islamic Center for Development of Trade (ICDT) and the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC), an agency under the OIC.
At the 2022 event, around 500 professional buyers from 96 countries around the world, especially Middle East, Western Europe, Central Europe and the Balkan Region, participate in the exhibition.
The exhibition is expected to accommodate around 5,280 business to business meetings and attract the attention of more than 50,000 visitors.
Meanwhile, The 8th World Halal Summit presented 48 speakers from 16 countries in 11 sessions for three days until 26 November 2022.
The conference presented speakers from government officials, halal regulators, academia and industry from various parts of the world, and raises issues of standardization of halal quality infrastructure, new economic opportunities in the halal industry, halal financing, halal supply chain, halal food, halal medicines, halal quality assurance technology, halal packaging industry, and sustainability of the halal tourism industry.
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Reporter: Azis Kurmala
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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