Selangor Helping The Halal Industry Get Ahead

SHAH ALAM (Selangor, Malaysia) Dec 19 (Bernama) – Adaptation is not an option but unavoidable in the race to stay ahead and reap the rewards, said Invest Selangor Bhd chief executive officer, Hasan Azhari Idris, about local halal product producers. “One of the challenges in going global is Industry 4.0, as it hasn’t just impacted economic growth, but jobs as well,” he said in his speech at a town hall to share the progress of, as well as gather feedback and support for, the Selangor Halal Industry Action Plan 2018-2028 Tuesday. The event officiated by Selangor State Economic Planning Unit (UPEN) director, Ahmad Suaidi Abdul Rahim, was attended by about 400 members of industry, federal and state agencies. It was held with help of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC), Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS), Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) and UPEN. The plan is an adaption of the HDC Halal Industry Master Plan and aimed at turning Selangor into a Global Halal Hub. Via Invest Selangor, the state government is formulating strategies to develop the halal industry ecosystem based on research and development, Industry 4.0, accreditation and financing. That being so, Hasan added that the Malaysian halal industry is enjoying the support of the Islamic finance industry. “Invest Selangor has held talks with the Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM) and will soon ink a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to act as facilitator in ensuring small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will be able to cash in on the cooperation. “According to JAIS statistics, there are presently 2,063 businesses with halal accreditation in Selangor and the number is expected to grow to 2,475 (an increase of 15-20 per cent) in the coming year,” Hasan said. In line with this, measures will be implemented like strengthening the position of Halal International Selangor (HIS) as a training centre for halal executives and auditors Entrepreneurs will also be encouraged to apply for halal certification and helped in their aim to conform with the conditions of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in order for their products to penetrate markets. “The Selangor state government is also assessing the proposal for a Selangor Halal Cosmetics Valley next year to promote the ‘Made in Selangor’ programme. “It should catch the eye of investors, especially those in the cosmetics industry. The halal cosmetics industry is fast growing globally and holds potential for Selangor,” he added. -- BERNAMA