KUALA LUMPUR: The Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) is committed to empowering and assisting small and medium entrepreneurs to seize opportunities in the herbal industry, which is expected to have a global market reach of RM1.6 trillion by 2030.
FRIM said this included support services offered at its Herbal Technology Centre (HTC), which was established in 2005 and had received the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification.
It added that HTC is capable of providing contract manufacturing services to herbal entrepreneurs, and has been recognised as a BioNexus Partner laboratory by BioEconomy Corporation and a National Pharmacy Regulatory Division (NPRA) Manufacturing Licence holder since 2011, and is now a major reference centre in the industry.
“HTC has also obtained various certifications, including the GMP for Food (MS 1480:2020), Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)(MS 1514:2009), TQCSI HACCP Code: 2022 as well as the halal certification from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia for pharmaceutical contract manufacturing.
“The main strengths of HTC include its integrity as a government agency capable of safeguarding the intellectual property rights of customers, well-equipped facilities, strategic positioning, value-added services in terms of technical advisory services and research and development,” FRIM said in a statement today.
FRIM said that since 2016, HTC has provided 2,048 types of services to over 500 clients, in addition to generating income of over RM2.56 million for FRIM.
“During that period, a total of 30 herbal products were also registered with NPRA, while over 223,000 units of registered products were released to the market, with the overall value estimated at over RM19 million, thus proving the crucial role played by FRIM in assisting the economic growth of local entrepreneurs,” it said.
FRIM director-general Datuk Dr Ismail Parlan was quoted as saying that this effort would be continued to ensure more herbal entrepreneurs can produce quality, safe and competitive products for the domestic and international markets.
“With increased demand for herbal-based products and awareness of consumers regarding healthy lifestyles, FRIM, through HTC, is ready to play a strategic role in developing the country’s herbal industry in a sustainable and high-impact manner,” he said.
According to FRIM, the market for natural products in Malaysia was estimated to be valued at over RM5 billion in 2023, and it is expected to continue to grow.
“The high demand for plant-based products, including health supplements, functional food and traditional medicines, encourages many local entrepreneurs to produce their own products. However, various constraints in terms of legal compliance and the high cost of building GMP-status facilities become a challenge,” it said.
FRIM added that, based on the Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984, all herbal products in Malaysia must be registered with NPRA and the Ministry of Health (MOH) to ensure safety and quality.
“Unregistered products can be a danger to consumers, as proven by the seizure of more than 70,000 illegal traditional and cosmetic products worth RM10.1 million by the MOH in November 2024,” it said.
