Malaysia: CCM eyes global halal domination

CCM eyes global halal domination

From a niche segment a couple of decades ago, the halal industry has now gone global and valued at more than US$2.1 trillion (RM6.5 billion).

It encompasses every aspect of life, ranging from food and beverages to pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, chemicals, fertilisers, healthcare, perfumes, non-consumable products, business principles, financial services, logistics and manufacturing practices.

The halal concept meets the discerning standards for safety, efficacy, quality and hygiene.

The Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) estimates that the Malaysian halal industry will account for 5.8 per cent of gross domestic product by 2020.

With the global Muslim population estimated at 1.8 billion and coupled with the growing acceptance of halal products among non-Muslim consumers, the market potential is lucrative and the opportunities are abundant.

Chemical Company of Malaysia Bhd (CCM), a pioneer in the production of halal-certified pharmaceutical products, is at the forefront of promoting the halal initiatives.

Its mission is to realise the benefits of an expanding industry locally and in international markets.

The group was bestowed the inaugural Halal Recognition Award 2011 at the 2011 World Halal Research Summit.

“As one of the largest pharmaceuticals, chemicals and fertilisers manufacturers in the country, we have from the onset established benchmarks for responsible, sustainable and consistent compliance procedures implemented throughout our organisation to manage a halal business,” says CCM group executive director Amirul Feisal Wan Zahir.

As part of the government’s push to establish Malaysia as a global halal hub,CCM collaborates with HDC and other organisations on several fronts to develop the industry through partnership programmes, seminars, workshops and other activities.

One major achievement was supporting the Department of Standards Malasyia to develop the Malaysia Standard: MS 2424:2010 Halal Pharmaceuticals – General Guidelines, the first in the world.

CCM was the first in Malaysia to secure Jakim’s halal certification for its pharmaceuticals division for health supplements and healthcare products.

This was followed by its chemicals division in 2004 for a range of products used in water treatment, food and beverage, edible oils and oleochemicals and used as either as a primary raw material or as process additives which consequently have a direct effect on final product quality.

CCM is also the first pharmaceutical company to establish a standard operating procedure for ritual cleansing or “samak”.

Being the country’s largest generic pharmaceutical manufacturer, CCM has a portfolio of more than 800 products, including leading over-the-counter products as well as an extensive range of ethical products like Champs, Proviton, Flavettes and Naturelle.

“At CCM, innovation is key to moving forward. In keeping with our commitment to develop new and innovative pharmaceutical products, we built a RM10 million hi-tech fully halal-compliant R&D facility – Innovax Sdn Bhd.”

CCM is present in more than 25 countries in Asean, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

CCM’s fertilisers division is also the only fertiliser manufacturer accredited with the Sirim MS 49:2008 product certification and MS ISO 2008 process certification.

While the division is working towards halal certification, its mineral-based products comply with the halal standards of hygiene and quality and are safe for use as plant nutrients.

Last year, CCM collaborated with the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute to produce Gromax, a nitro humic acid-based foliar fertiliser padi booster, which enhances grain yield by increasing grain-filling percentage.

“CCM believes that the future of halal industry is bright as halal concepts and benefits continue to gain recognition worldwide and Malaysia is in a unique position to take advantage of this.”