Halal certificates are instruments for expanding MSME market access, says BPJPH head
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) Ahmad Haikal Hasan has said that halal certificates are an important instrument for expanding market access for micro and small enterprises (MSMEs).
“With halal certificates, MSME products have a greater opportunity to enter national and even international markets, while strengthening the people’s economy,” Haikal said in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He stated that halal has now developed into an instrument for MSMEs to provide economic added value while increasing market confidence.
“Halal has now become an important economic instrument. The halal value chain has proven to have a very large economic contribution, reaching 27 per cent of the national GDP. That figure is equivalent to around Rp4,900 trillion,” Haikal said.
The government, through BPJPH, is also facilitating MSME players in various regions to obtain halal certification free of charge.
“This programme is not merely about handing over certificates, but is an investment to improve the quality and competitiveness of business actors. When a product has halal certification, consumer trust will increase and business opportunities will become more open,” Haikal stated.
Meanwhile, Member of Commission II of the Indonesian House of Representatives Jazuli Juwaini said halal certification is a form of state protection for the rights of the people, as well as an instrument for empowering business owners, including MSMEs, to build economic independence and enhance the competitiveness of Indonesian products.
He assessed that halal certificates open wider opportunities to enter the national market and even for export, particularly to Muslim-majority countries.
“That is why Indonesia has a Halal Product Assurance Law, not to complicate matters for the public or business actors, but precisely to provide certainty, protection, and ease in the implementation of halal certification,” Jazuli said.
“The government continues to strengthen collaboration with various parties to facilitate halal certification for business actors, especially micro, small and medium enterprises,” he added.
Director of the Sharia Economics and Finance Department at Bank Indonesia (BI) Suryono added that halal certification is an investment for business actors to improve quality and expand market access.
With strong collaboration among all stakeholders, the national halal ecosystem will become increasingly robust and competitive.
“Therefore, Bank Indonesia continues to strengthen synergy with BPJPH, local governments, Halal Centres, universities, Islamic boarding schools, sharia financial institutions, and business actors to accelerate the emergence of more competitive halal products,” Suryono said.