Jakarta (ANTARA) – The 2022 International Halal Congress in Bangka Belitung could encourage Indonesia to become a world leader in the halal tourism and production sector, Indonesian Ulema Council’s (MUI’s) Sharia and Halal Economics Head Sholahuddin Al-Aiyub stated.
“The congress could connect stakeholders with industry sectors, halal activists, and the wider community in synergizing and collaborating to encourage Indonesia (to become) the world’s leading halal producer,” Al-Aiyub noted on Wednesday.
He later remarked that the congress, attended by participants and speakers from 40 countries, became an important momentum for activists and halal industry players to formulate policies related to halal products and tourism.
Al-Aiyub stated that Indonesia had a major edge to lead the halal tourism and product sector, with its superior human resources and abundant natural resources.
As the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia has become the largest market for the halal industry in the world, he affirmed.
“Indonesia’s consumption of halal products in 2019 reached US$114 billion. This made Indonesia the largest consumer of this sector,” Al-Aiyub remarked.
In the halal tourism sector, Indonesia ranks sixth in the world, with a transaction value of US$11.2 billion. Meanwhile, total consumption of the Muslim fashion sector in Indonesia reached US$15 billion.
“Indonesia’s halal pharmaceutical and the cosmetic sector were ranked 6th and 2nd, with total expenditures of US$5.4 billion and US$4 billion, respectively,” he stated.
Earlier, MUI Deputy Chairman Marsudi Syuhud invited all levels of society to increase the availability of halal products and services in Indonesia.
“In Islamic teachings, we are taught and ordered to consume halal thoyyiban, as this commandment is stated in the surah al-Baqarah verses 168 and 172,” he stated.
According to Syuhud, the need for halal products has begun to become a standard of living for the Indonesian Muslim community and has also been adopted by non-Muslim communities.
Moreover, the government had declared Indonesia as the world’s halal production center in 2024. This program requires efforts and innovation by all stakeholders to provide halal products and services in Indonesia.
