Halal-seminar ‘aye’ to establishment of Brunei’s halal products academy
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: The proposal to establish the Halal Products Academy will likely materialise soon with Brunei’s related ministries submitting the official proposal to the government in the near future.
Through feedback received from participants, local and foreign, at the International Halal Market Conference which ended yesterday, a consensus was reached, with all saying yes to the idea of having the academy here.
The two-day conference with a theme of “The Emergence of the Halal Market economy”, was organised in conjunction with the Third International Halal Expo 2008 held here from Aug 14 to 17.
Acting director of the Agriculture Department, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR), Normah S.H. Jamil, said the aim of having the academy was to allow and ensure that the ulama (Islamic scholars) understand science and industry as well as what was happening in the industry to help them in formulating fatwa.
“During this forum, we want to get the initial response and ideas on the formation of the academy so that it represents the ideas from Muslim from various countries,” Normah said.
“This will come as a proposal from IMPR and Mufti Department to get further approval. Then we will set the academy from there,” she said after the end of the seminar.
At the last session of the forum which touched specifically on the formation of the academy, 16 ideas or issues were raised by the participants which could be used by the ministry to formulate the framework for the academy.
Imarat Consultants’ managing director Abdalhamid Evans, who acted as the moderator for the session, said various ideas were brought forward during the one-and-a-half-hour session.
“These ideas will be put in a report soon and will be given to the ministry for further action. It can be a good reference to formulate actual framework and scope for the academy,” he said.
Abdalhamid, who is an expert with vast experience in the halal industry and its trends, said the notion of setting up of the academy received unanimous support from the delegates.
The seminar was attended by 300 participants comprising government officials and representatives from the private sector locally and abroad.
The Brunei government first mulled the idea of having the academy last year, which was seen as a tool to tackle some of the complex issues that have arisen and others likely to arise in the future.
The academy is likely to be the first of its kind that will facilitate and promote collaboration between Syariah scholars and specialists in halal science and research to make the country a step ahead from its other regional peers.
Halal-seminar aye to establishment of Brunei’s halal products academy
Besides the academy, the seminar also touched on current trends in the halal industry as well as potential sectors that can be tapped within the global halal marketplace which is estimated to grow at a US$500 billion annually due to an ever-increasing Muslim population.
