BPJPH urges regions to accelerate halal certification to boost income
The Head of the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH), Ahmad Haikal Hasan, has urged all regions to accelerate halal product certification in order to increase income.
“Because halal is now one of the supporting factors as an engine of economic growth,” Haikal said while attending the North Sumatra Halal Fest 2026 in Medan, North Sumatra, on Wednesday.
He added that halal products, along with all their infrastructure and supply chains, contribute 27 percent to gross domestic product (GDP), or around Rp6,400 trillion, dominated by the food products sector.
According to him, this contribution is substantial enough that regions need to pay attention to accelerating halal certification for business operators.
He continued that in October 2026, in accordance with statutory provisions, not only food but also beverages, medicines, cosmetics and other uses including textiles will be required to have halal certification.
“That makes halal a prime driver for the engine of economic growth, because halal has already been implemented abroad. Moreover, halal should not be focused on any particular religion, because halal is universal, elite food, transparency, and so on,” he said.
BPJPH reaffirmed the readiness of the entire Halal Product Assurance (JPH) ecosystem in facing the important stage of implementing the mandatory halal certification (Wajib Halal) on 18 October 2026.
To that end, Haikal said, in accelerating Wajib Halal in North Sumatra, his agency is collaborating with the North Sumatra Provincial Government, halal product facilitators, and the Bank Indonesia Representative Office for North Sumatra Province to build technical service units.
“This collaboration accelerates the halal certification process. Moreover, the local government has a free certification programme, and there is nothing complicated in the process,” he said.
The Bank Indonesia (BI) Representative Office for North Sumatra Province previously stated that the implementation of North Sumatra Halal Fest 2026 is one of the efforts to expand the halal product ecosystem in the province.
“This activity is the first collaboration with the North Sumatra Provincial Government with the aim of expanding the halal ecosystem, including food, beverages, fashion and sharia banking,” said Head of the BI North Sumatra Representative Office Ameriza M Moesa.
Ameriza said the implementation of North Sumatra Halal Fest on 26-27 August 2026 is expected to accelerate the development of the halal ecosystem in North Sumatra.