MITI MULLS REQUESTS TO SET UP LAB TO INSPECT, CERTIFY HALAL PRODUCTS, HERBS

MELAKA (Malaysia), Feb 25 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of International Trade
and Industry (MITI) will consider requests to build a laboratory for inspection
and certification of halal food products and herbs before being exported.

Its deputy minister, Mukhriz Tun Mahathir, said currently, exporters
used the lab facilities in Singapore for certification before being exported,
especially to the European Union (EU) countries.

"The products that are verified and certified in Singapore will be easily
accepted into the EU countries, although they actually originated from
Malaysia," he told reporters after officiating at a meeting with entrepreneurs
and exporters organised by Malaysia External Trade Development Corp (Matrade)
here Thursday.

He said Malaysia did not have labs for verification and certification of the
food products and herbs for exports.

"Singapore has been used as a transit point before the products are
exported
and they are considered Singapore-produced," he said.

Mukhriz said in his meetings in the states and visits by the associations to
his ministry, the issue of setting up the lab like in Singapore has been brought
up and it's time to consider it.

He said countries like China, through the China Inspection Corp, recently
signed an agreement to make inspection of food products exported to the country
be done in Malaysia.

"This is a step to facilitate the inspection for our goods entering the
Chinese market," he said.

He said the ministry would consider setting up an office in Malacca because
there were many requests from exporters.

According to exporters, at present they had to deal with the MITI office in
Putrajaya and Johor Baharu for the purpose of documentation and certification.

Earlier, in his speech, Mukhriz said China and Hong Kong were the largest
export market last year which amounted to RM96.1 billion (US$1=RM3.4), or 17.4
per cent, of total exports of RM553.3 billion.

He said MITI, through Matrade, has 40 offices around the world, would
continue to assist exporters through various programmes.

-- BERNAMA