The national halal industry has had a positive impact on economic recovery from the pandemic in Indonesia, which must serve as an inspiration for other countries, Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas said.
“We hope our experience can inspire the global community to recover together after the pandemic,” he remarked while opening the 4th International Halal Dialogue (IHD) here on Friday.
The dialogue was organized by the Religious Affairs Ministry’s Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH), with the support of Bank Indonesia, as part of the 9th International Sharia Economic Festival (ISEF).
He said that the theme of this year’s event, “Halal Economy Recovery,” and its sub-theme, “Accelerating halal certification for supporting economic recovery,” underline Indonesia’s position as the current holder of the G20 Presidency.
The event is a valuable contribution from Indonesia to the global halal industry, the minister added.
“We hope the theme of the 4th IHD can inspire the global community about how Indonesia could recover faster and recover stronger from the pandemic, hence, becoming one of only several countries who have recovered to its pre-pandemic conditions,” Qoumas said.
Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has set the target of making Indonesia the largest halal product producer by 2024 as it is currently placed second after Malaysia in the global halal food industry, the minister pointed out.
He expressed the hope that various programs conceived by the BPJPH to accelerate halal product certification will help Indonesia take over the title of the largest halal producer from Malaysia.
“We hope Indonesia will achieve the first rank in the halal food and drink industry cluster soon,” Qoumas remarked.
Meanwhile, BPJPH head Aqil Irham said that the event could have a major impact on the development of the national and global halal industry.
“This will be our common medium to formulate measures to recover the halal industry in Indonesia and at the global level,” he added.
Source: Antara News