Indonesia Calls for Global Halal Standardization

TheIndonesia.id - Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Rachmat Gobel, said that many Muslim-majority countries in the world needed standardization of halal.

"This is important so that there is equality and mutual trust among halal certifying institutions around the world," Gobel said in a press release received by Antara, in Jakarta, Saturday night, November 27, 2021.

Gobel attended the World Halal Expo 2021 and the World Halal Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, organized by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), The Islamic Center for Development of Trade (ICDT), and Standard and Metrology for Islamic Countries (SMIC).

According to Gobel, many Muslim-majority countries, as well as halal certifying institutions, must discuss the development of common procedures, sizes, and methods of halal testing.

"It must be admitted that currently there are still differences between countries or institutions that provide halal certificates regarding these matters," he added.

He explained that this needs to be done as the demand for halal products continues to grow. "Demand for halal products continues to increase and Indonesia is one of the largest markets for halal products in the world," he said.

There is a large potential for halal products with consumption levels growing by an average of 6.2 percent of the approximately 1.8 billion Muslim population in the world in 2018-2024.

Halal products trade can also boost Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 1-3 percent.

Gobel said that as a country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia must learn a lot so that it is not only a world market for halal products but also a major player or producer.

He attended the 8th OIC Halal Expo and 7th World Halal Summit in Turkey, which was attended by 34,865 visitors from 94 countries with 378 participants from 35 countries, while the 6th World Halal Summit was held in a hybrid method with 61 speakers from 15 different countries.

Gobel was invited by the President of the World Halal Summit Council to participate in this activity. During the visit, he was accompanied by a member of the DPR from the PPP, Muhammad Amir Uskara, and a member of the DPR from the Nasdem Party, Charles Meikyansyah.

In addition, the Head of the Standardization Agency for Industrial Services Policy of the Ministry of Industry, Doddy Rahady, and the Director-General of Consumer Protection and Order of Commerce of the Ministry of Trade, Veri Anggrijono, were also present.

There was also an exhibition of halal products which was followed by countries around the world at the expo. The Indonesian government built a special booth that was attended by small and medium enterprises from various regions. There are herbs, food, and textile products.

"We hope that this visit will be useful for developing halal industries and products in Indonesia and strengthening cooperation on halal products with other Muslim countries in the world," said Gobel.