Globally, the demand for halal products continues to rise. Indonesia has great potential in developing the halal industry, both at home and abroad. The magnitude of this potential can be seen from the majority of Indonesia’s population, which is Muslim is 87.2% of Indonesia’s 268 million population, which accounts for 13% of the total Muslim population in the world.
“There are two things that can be performed to develop Indonesia’s potential and meet the needs of the global market. First, the development of special areas that produce halal products. Second, the guarantee of halal products for domestic and foreign consumers,” said the Head of the Center for Cooperation and Standardization of BPJPH, Sri Ilham Lubis, LC., M.Pd., in a virtual workshop entitled The Importance of Halal Certification for Exports in Increasing the Competitiveness of Indonesian Export Products on April 23, 2021.
In addition, the Ministry of Trade revealed that the number of exports of halal products for the January-February 2021 period to countries that are included in the Islamic Cooperation Organization (OIC) is higher than the number of imports, so it can be said that Indonesia’s trade balance has earned the profit.
In this case, besides being accredited by SNI ISO / IEC 17065: 2012, The Assessment Institute for Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics Indonesian Council of Ulama (LPPOM MUI) has also been recognized by the Accreditation Institute in the Middle East, the Emirate Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA). This can increase the acceptance of products that have been certified by LPPOM MUI and can be accepted in Middle Eastern and OIC countries.
(Also read: Increasing the Competitiveness, Halal Certification for Indonesian Export Products is Important)
The Global Islamic Economy (GIE) Indicator data, which measures the strength of the sharia economy in 73 countries, states that Indonesia is ranked 5th in 2019/2020. This ranking has improved from the previous year (2018/2019) which was ranked 10th.
Of the six sectors assessed, the aspect of halal food, media and recreation, and pharma & cosmetics are three sectors that need to be developed to balance the performance of other sectors. The development of these sectors can be an opportunity for the halal industry in special areas. (YN)
