Halal products from Malaysia, Thailand, and even Brazil easily enter\nthe domestic market, while Indonesia\u2019s own products still struggle to\npenetrate the halal export market significantly.<\/p>\n
The government\u2019s Mandatory Halal policy, set for October 2026, aims\nto flip this situation. This move reinforces Indonesia\u2019s commitment to\ntransforming itself from a mere spectator into a major player in the\nglobal halal industry.<\/p>\n
In truth, this policy is not a sudden step. Its legal foundation is\nrooted in Law No.\u00a033 of 2014 on Halal Product Assurance, which was later\nstrengthened by Government Regulation No.\u00a042 of 2024.<\/p>\n
Implementation is being carried out in phases, with medium and large\nenterprises having been required to hold halal certification since\nOctober 2024, while imported products alongside micro and small\nenterprises have been given until October 2026 to comply.<\/p>\n
As the main authority, the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH)\nmanages the entire process, from certification and oversight to\nfacilitation programs.<\/p>\n
For micro and small enterprises specifically, a dedicated facility\ncalled SEHATI (Free Halal Certification) is available with a quota of\n1.35 million certificates for 2026, up from one million the previous\nyear.<\/p>\n
More than 11,000 Halal Product Process Facilitators have been\ndeployed to assist businesses in the submission process. These figures\nreflect the infrastructure the government is building to establish a\nhalal ecosystem that reaches the grassroots level of the economy.<\/p>\n
One of the significant shifts in the October 2026 Mandatory Halal\npolicy is how the government positions halal certification. While a\nhalal label was once viewed strictly through a religious lens\u2014as a\nmatter of ritual compliance and spiritual peace of mind for Muslim\nconsumers\u2014the narrative has now shifted toward economics and\ncompetitiveness.<\/p>\n
BPJPH Head Ahmad Haikal Hasan emphasized that halal certification has\ntransformed from merely a matter of religious compliance into a\ncommitment to transparency, accountability, and consumer trust.<\/p>\n
This is aligned with the situation of the global halal market\necosystem which is not only driven by Muslim consumers. In many\ncountries, halal labels now serve as an indicator of quality and safety,\non par with international hygiene standards that transcend religious\nidentity.<\/p>\n
The State of the Global Islamic Economy Report ranks Indonesia third\nin the world\u2019s halal industry ecosystem, behind Malaysia and Saudi\nArabia.<\/p>\n
While this position is still a point of pride for the country, it\nraises a critical question: why has the world\u2019s most populous\nMuslim-majority nation not yet become the dominant player? The answer is\ncomplex, but one of the key factors is how far halal certification can\npenetrate the entire supply chain, from raw materials to the final\nproduct.<\/p>\n
Therefore, the mandatory halal certification policy plays a strategic\nrole that goes far beyond simple legal compliance.<\/p>\n
Challenges ahead<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, this policy is also not immune to challenges on the\nground. One of the most significant ones is the issue of the upstream\nsupply chain.<\/p>\n
While many micro and small enterprises eagerly seek halal\ncertification for their products, they struggle to verify the compliance\nof their raw materials, which often circulate in the market\nuncertified.<\/p>\n
Bakers, pastry makers, or local meatball vendors, for instance, often\nbuy meat and seasonings that are sold in bulk at traditional markets.\nThese items are mostly unpackaged, unbranded, and lacking any clear\nhalal status. This means that a policy at the downstream level does not\nautomatically solve problems upstream.<\/p>\n
To address this issue, relying solely on educating business owners\nwill not be enough. What is needed is an accelerated certification\nprocess for raw material suppliers, the equitable development of\nhalal-certified distribution hubs, and the integration of traceability\nsystems spanning from producer to consumer.<\/p>\n
While several institutions have begun moving toward this direction,\ntheir reach is still far from matching the scale of the problem.<\/p>\n
Another challenge lies in the oversight of imported products. In this\nregard, the government, through a memorandum of understanding (MoU)\nsigned by BPJPH and the Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin), has\nintegrated its oversight at the country\u2019s entry points, with trial\ninspections already underway in key trading partner nations such as\nThailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, and South Korea.<\/p>\n
This move is aimed at addressing products with unilateral halal\nclaims that lack adequate verification.<\/p>\n
However, building an effective cross-institutional oversight system\nrequires a robust technological integration and bureaucratic\ncoordination\u2014two areas that often become Indonesia\u2019s weak points in\npolicy implementation.<\/p>\n
Beyond these technical and administrative complexities, the October\n2026 mandatory halal certification policy is essentially a project of\neconomic identity. Indonesia is striving to redefine its position on the\nglobal trade stage: shifting from a massive passive market to a trusted\nsource of halal production.<\/p>\n
Data shows that Indonesia\u2019s halal product exports recorded a surplus\nof US$29.09 billion in the period of January\u2013October 2024, with exports\nreaching US$41.42 billion in total, dominated by processed food. While\nthese are impressive figures, they have not yet fully reflected\nIndonesia\u2019s full potential, with its massive Muslim population, abundant\nnatural resources, and regulations that are increasingly robust.<\/p>\n
The key to closing this gap does not lie merely in the number of\ncertificates issued. A certificate is simply an instrument, not the\nultimate goal. What matters more is how deeply the halal ecosystem is\nembedded within the national production system.<\/p>\n
Business owners must understand the core principles, supply chains\nmust be rigorously verified, oversight must be executed with the highest\nlevel of integrity, and consumers\u2014both domestic and global\u2014must be fully\nconfident that<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mandatory-halal-2026-indonesias-push-for-a-global-halal-identity-1781160652", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }