KUALA LUMPUR: The government will introduce a new initiative – The Halal Industry Strategic Development Programme, or ‘’be-Halal’’ – under the National Halal Council Secretariat to drive the growth of the halal industry, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said.
As a start, 50 players from the halal industry will be selected by the secretariat to participate in the ‘‘be-Halal’’ programme, she said when launching the 2019 Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) Halfest at the Mines International Exhibition Convention Centre (MIECC) in Seri Kembangan, here today.
“Using Halfest as a platform, ‘be-Halal’ is an initiative to drive the growth of the halal industry through holistic programmes involving halal industry players.
“This will make them more innovative and compete productively as they face global challenges, be it in the halal or the challenging world of commerce,” she said.
The 2019 Jakim Halfest is a collaboration between Jakim and the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) to promote asnaf (underprivileged) entrepreneurs and to promote the halal culture to not only Muslim entrepreneurs and consumers, but non-Muslims as well with comprehensive exposure of Halal-certified products and services.
Dr Wan Azizah said ‘’be-Halal’’ participants will be developed further through programmes run by experts in various fields to enable them to contribute to the nation’s halal industry.
“It was one of my aspirations when I assumed the leadership of the National Halal Council to drive the capabilities and capacity of the national halal industry to higher and competitive levels,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dr Wan Azizah hoped to see more of the underprivileged participate in Halfest in the coming years with the help of companies who contribute zakat (tithes).
Halfest must also formulate newer mechanisms and changes every year and come up with programmes that bring about greater impact to entrepreneurs, industries, consumers and the country, she said. — Bernama
