AKUMINDO Calls for Expansion of Free Halal Certification for MSMEs

The Indonesian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Association (AKUMINDO) hopes the government will expand the free halal certification programme so that more micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can utilise the facility to improve their business competitiveness. “We hope the opportunity to obtain free halal certification can be expanded so that more MSME players can take advantage of it,” said AKUMINDO Secretary General Edy Misero in Jakarta on Monday. The Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises is preparing to facilitate free halal certification for around 500,000 MSMEs as part of efforts to help meet the halal certification obligation by October 2026. Halal certification is considered beneficial for MSMEs, ranging from increasing consumer trust to opening wider market opportunities. “Halal certification provides better market opportunities. Indonesian consumers will buy because there is certainty that the product is halal,” Edy said. Halal certification can also help MSMEs expand access to international markets, especially to countries that place great importance on halal product assurance. “With halal certification, it is easier for us to market products to the global market. If we plan to export to the Middle East, we will receive a better response,” he stated. The existence of halal certification also increases public trust in MSME products because it provides certainty regarding the halal status and hygiene of the marketed products. In addition to expanding the programme, AKUMINDO also encourages the government to continue socialising the importance of halal certification to business players. This step is considered important to increase MSMEs’ understanding of the benefits of halal certification in supporting business development and market expansion. Edy hopes that collaboration between the government, MSME players, and the media can encourage more MSME products to be halal-certified so they have stronger competitiveness in both domestic and global markets.