WEST JAVA TO INCREASE HALAL CERTIFICATION SERVICES IN 2015

Bandung, 13 Rabi ‘ul-Awwal 1436/4 January 2015 (MINA) – The governor of West Java, Ahmad Heryawan facilitated the halal certification for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in facing regional competition in ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015.

Heryawan said, these activities were to boost the competitiveness of SMEs and to improve the standardization and certification of SMEs’ products in order to achieve the potential markets in ASEAN countries.

” We will give halal label to SMEs products without imposing fee,” Heryawan told Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) reporter in Bandung, Thursday  night.

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) have inaugurated West Java as halal province in Indonesia on October 22, 2014.

The Halal Province name is a result of combined program agreed by West Java government, West Java MUI, and the Institute for Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI LPPOM) in West Java.

Heryawan explained, the achivement was because of West Java’s efforts in improving products quality through standardization and halal certification program.

West Java government has allocated a budget to realize the program, by providing subsidies for halal certification process and lawful advocacy for entrepreneurs, especially SMEs in West Java.

Potential of Indonesian Muslim market is 80 per cent of the total Muslim population in ASEAN and about 16 percent in West Java.

The Government of West Java has facilitated 9,330 halal certification in 2003 to 2014. This amount is 70% of the 13 458 units certification issued by the MUI in West Java.

West Java government has given free halal certification to 1,170 SMEs entrepreneurs at West Java in mid-December 2014. The certification was part of the facilitation program in 2014 provided by the West Java government for the SMEs entrepreneurs. (L/P009/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)