Vice President KH Ma’ruf Amin: LPPOM MUI 1442 H Syawal Festival is a very good program because it shows LPH LPPOM MUI’s real concern for SMEs by providing facilitation support for halal certification for 644 SMEs from all provinces in Indonesia.The halal product industry has now gained a place not only among the domestic community, but also globally. This is a big potential for Indonesia, which has long paid attention to halal products and aspires to become the largest halal producer in the world. Therefore, the government pays special attention to the development of Small and Medium Enterprise (UMK) as the main actors in sharia economy and finance because of their very large numbers.
This was conveyed by the Vice President of Republic of Indonesia (Wapres RI), Prof. DR. (HC) KH Ma’ruf Amin at the Closing Ceremony of the LPPOM MUI 1442 H Syawal Festival which was held by the Halal Inspection Body (LPH) of the Assessment Institute for Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics Indonesian Council of Ulama (LPPOM MUI) on June 22, 2021.
(Also read: LPPOM MUI Facilitates Halal Certification for 644 SMEs from 34 Provinces in Indonesia)
Menurutnya, sertifikat halal menjadi salah satu syarat produk dapat diterima di negara-negara tujuan ekspor, khususnya negara dengan jumlah penduduk mayoritas muslim, termasuk negara-negara anggota Organisasi Kerjasama Islam (OKI). Dalam kaitan ini, Pemerintah sedang mengupayakan untuk membuka pasar ekspor di negara negara tersebut melalui penghapusan hambatan perdagangan baik berupa tarif maupun non-tarif.
According to Ma’ruf, halal certificates are one of the requirements for products to be accepted in export destination countries, especially countries with a Muslim majority population, including member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). In this regard, the Government is seeking to open up export markets in these countries through the elimination of trade barriers in the form of tariffs and non-tariffs.
“Therefore, it is hoped that the halal certificate issued by the government can be accepted in all export destination countries. In this case, I ask BPJPH and LPH LPPOM MUI to immediately coordinate with the Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs to agree on the existence of an internationally accepted Indonesian halal certificate,” said Ma’ruf.
As a follow-up to the Job Creation Act, the government through the Minister of Finance Regulation Number 57 of 2021 has stipulated exemption from certification fees for SMEs. His party appealed to all SMEs actors to take care of halal certification. This is important to increase competitiveness and add value to the product, so it is hoped that SMEs products can strengthen the Indonesian economy, both on a national and international scale.
In terms of supporting this effort, Ma’ruf appreciated LPH LPPOM MUI for organizing the LPPOM MUI 1442 Hijriah Syawal Festival program. According to him, this is a very good program because it shows LPH LPPOM MUI’s real concern for SMEs by providing facilitation support for halal certification for 644 SMEs from all provinces in Indonesia.
“I appreciate the contribution that has been made by LPH LPPOM MUI for 32 years in the world of halal certification and has made many breakthroughs that make it easier for business actors in the halal certification process. One of them is the standard of the Halal Assurance System (SJH) which has been used as the basis for conducting audits of halal products,” said Ma’ruf.
By this experience, Ma’ruf hopes that LPH LPPOM MUI can continue to increase its role and contribution in the field of halal certification, as well as become a strategic partner of the government in increasing the competitiveness of SMEs through business-friendly halal certification to support SMEs’ competitiveness, both in local and regional markets, as well as globally. (YN)
