Maman: Government prepares adaptive policies for MSME halal certification

Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA) - The government is preparing adaptive policies for the implementation of mandatory halal certification for micro and small enterprises (MSEs), taking into account the ability of business owners to meet the requirements.

The Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Maman Abdurrahman, stated that the government understands that many micro and small business owners still require time and guidance to fulfil halal certification obligations.

“In principle, the deadline for the obligation for MSMEs is that everyone must be halal certified by this October, but rest assured that the government understands there will certainly be exceptions for micro and small enterprises,” he said during the Leading Entrepreneurship Exchange and mass KUR (People’s Business Credit) signing ceremony for East Java 2026 at the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), Surabaya, on Wednesday.

Maman noted that the government is still discussing the implementation of the halal certification mandate through a limited meeting led by the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs.

He explained that the prepared policy will continue to encourage compliance with halal certification while still considering the capacity of micro and small business owners. This is because, he added, the government recognises that not all micro and small entrepreneurs possess the same level of understanding and literacy regarding this halal certification obligation.

“We must recognise that not all micro-entrepreneurs have the same level of legal literacy; therefore, following the implementation in October, the government will prepare certain policies and slight dispensations or leniency for micro-businesses that are truly unable to comply,” he said.

Maman revealed that the government is also continuously promoting the ‘self-declare’ mechanism as a way to assist micro-entrepreneurs in meeting halal certification requirements. He emphasised that the implementation of this mandate must be differentiated according to business capacity, as the conditions of micro and small enterprises are not entirely the same as those of medium and large enterprises.

He expressed hope that the implementation of the halal certification policy could proceed alongside mentoring for MSMEs, ensuring that the obligation does not hinder business continuity.