SEPANG: The government has set up a task force aimed at coordinating the development of halal industrial parks and identifying constraints faced by state governments, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.
As chairman of the Halal Industry Development Council, he said that only 11 per cent of the 13,000 acres (5260.91 hectares) of land allocated by state governments for halal industrial parks have been developed since 2009 till today.
“This means state governments are committed in preparing the halal industry but maybe there are several constraints in terms of development, especially from halal producers who want to expand in the industrial parks.
“What we decided (at the meeting), we set up the task force, I will chair it with the cooperation of all state governments and we will obtain their feedback on the true constraints that could be assisted by the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and Halal Development Corporation Bhd (HDC) that we can coordinate,” he said at a media conference after chairing the Halal Industry Development Council meeting 1/2024 here today which was also attended by Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz.
Ahmad Zahid clarified that the constraints identified so far included the lack of incentives and infrastructure when asked to elaborate on the constraints faced.
“So I will take a hands-on approach to find out what the real problems are,” Ahmad Zahid said, adding that the local halal industry needed to enter the global halal market, which is estimated to be worth US$5 trillion in 2030.
“MITI has worked hard with HDC to enter the international (halal) market as 81 per cent of halal products are centred towards the food and beverage market, while there are so many other halal sectors, such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, but we have only focused on the former, and only manage to dominate the local market,” he said.
Other matters discussed at today’s meeting besides the setting up of the task force included the implementation of the Halal Industry Master Plan 2030; improvements to certification administration, the organising of the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS); and improvements to the Halal Certification Digitalisation infrastructure.
