5.3 Million Products in Indonesia Have Been Halal Certified

Bogor, MINA – Head of the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) of the Indonesian Ministry of Religion (Kemenag), Muhammad Aqil Irham said that currently, there are 5.3 million products produced, traded and/or distributed throughout Indonesia that have been certified halal.

He said that this achievement has increased by almost 700 percent from 2019. In terms of service, the halal certification service process continues to be improved so that it can be completed in a much faster time than the previous service process which could even take up to 352 days or 10 months.

“In terms of quality, we have cut the halal certification time by 98%, from 352 days to only 11 days for the regular halal route and 8 days for the self-declare halal route to obtain a halal certificate,” said Aqil during a media meeting in Bogor on Friday.

Aqil also said that one of the important breakthroughs in improving the Halal Product Assurance service is by utilizing technological innovation. This effort has proven to have a significant impact on both the quantity and quality of Indonesian halal product assurance.

“We are aware that halal is not just a stamp and certificate but also plays a role in sustainable development. Halal is a manifestation of responsible production and consumption,” he concluded.

The achievement of this halal certification, continued Aqil, is partly thanks to the flagship program of the BPJPH Kemenag, namely the Free Halal Certification (Sehati) with the Self Declare mechanism.

“The program launched since the beginning of Gus Men’s term of office has succeeded in issuing 1,760,384 certificates covering more than 3 million products,” added Aqil.

Furthermore, access to halal certification services is now easier with an online registration system. Business actors can register through the PUSAKA Kemenag Super Apps application available on the Play Store and App Store, or through the ptsp.halal.go.id page, without the need to bring physical files to the registration office.

On that occasion, Aqil also stated that BPJH ensures that the implementation of the halal certification obligation for products starting on October 18, 2024 is a strategic step in realizing Indonesia as the center of the world’s halal product industry.

“At the time (the implementation of the mandatory halal on October 18, 2024) supervision will not be directly given sanctions, but there will be appeals and warnings. So that they can register. If they still have not carried out certification, a fine will be imposed by the government,” he said.

Aqil added that in 2025, the target is for more certified products. One of them is by providing education and literacy to business actors.

Indonesia has successfully entered the top three in the Global Islamic Economy Indicator (GIEI) in the State of the Global Islamic Economy (SGIE) Report 2023 released by DinarStandard in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in December 2023. Indonesia, which was in fourth position in 2022, is now ranked third, below Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, in the halal food sector or halal food products, Indonesia is ranked second in the world. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)