Minister: Halal certification deadline postponed on president’s orders

Makassar (ANTARA) – Minister of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (UMKM) Maman Abdurrahman said the implementation of mandatory halal certification for UMKM had been postponed until 2028 on the instructions of President Prabowo Subianto.

“The President’s message to us was to postpone the deadline. The final date should have been 18 October. The President understands that UMKM have raised a great many concerns,” he said in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Sunday.

He said the UMKM halal certification requirement had so far fallen short of its target, making a postponement necessary. Many business owners, he said, were still struggling to meet the documentary requirements.

The government, through the Halal Product Assurance Organising Agency (BPJPH), set a target of 1.35 million free halal certificates for UMKM in 2026 under its SEHATI programme. However, that target had not been met by the 18 October 2026 deadline.

“As well as the target not being met, most UMKM also feel the timing is not right, because the process is still considered quite demanding and they are not yet able to prepare the administrative documents. That is why it has been postponed by two years, until 2028,” he said.

Maman explained that mandatory halal certification for UMKM was not a programme introduced by the Prabowo Subianto–Gibran Rakabuming Raka administration, but a requirement under Law No. 33 of 2014 on Halal Product Assurance, which set 18 October 2026 as the deadline.

“Because the President also sees that many UMKM are not yet able to comply, and in order to ease their burden, he ordered the postponement until 2028,” he added.

The government will assess how effective the postponement is, follow the President’s instruction and examine possible ways to find a compromise and the best solution.

“What would that middle-ground mechanism be? It would need to reconcile the statutory requirement for halal certification with the capacity of UMKM,” he said.

“We must not let this become a burden for UMKM. We are reviewing it, and hopefully we can come up with the best formula in the near future,” Maman added.

Mandatory halal certification is intended to give Muslim consumers confidence, safety and protection, and to prevent them from consuming products whose halal status is unclear. In addition to being required by law, it is also governed by Government Regulation No. 42 of 2024 on the Implementation of Halal Product Assurance.