Jakarta (ANTARA) – The development of the halal value chain must be simultaneously accompanied by the integration of regulatory infrastructure and sharia business actors, Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has said.
“The halal value chain must be integrated with each other and developed simultaneously, starting from regulatory infrastructure, halal industry development, sharia finance, sharia social funds, and no less important for sharia business actors and businesses,” he said during the virtual 2021 Trade Expo Indonesia as seen in Jakarta on Friday.
Indonesia cannot become a global halal center if it only focuses on developing Islamic finance and banking, he pointed out. Thus, the integration of the halal value chain must be developed early, he added.
To push national economic recovery, which has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, he urged all stakeholders to prioritize sectors that have the potential to grow positively.
“Among these sectors, the food sector and the agricultural sector are the two sectors where growth has been above the national GDP (gross domestic product) growth,” he pointed out.
He highlighted that the food and agriculture sectors sit on the top of the halal value chain. Thus, if Indonesia can develop the two sectors, it could become the center of the global halal chain, Amin said.
He then asked all stakeholders in the economic sector to collaborate and work hard to realize the goal.
“Especially with efforts to expedite halal certification, control the ecosystem which supports the export of halal products, open up and catch up with halal products export opportunities, as well as collaboration and integration of large businesses with cooperatives and MSMEs,” he said.
The Vice President said he expected the Halal Trade Forum to serve as a platform for Indonesian buyers and trading partners to explore halal products and build networks.
“I am optimistic that Indonesian exporters will have the opportunity to acknowledge and explore superior products and establish mutually beneficial partnerships,” he added.