Several Countries Keen On Halal Certification Via HDC

Several Countries Keen On Halal Certification Via HDC

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) — Malaysia has
attracted the interest of several countries for its consultancy
services on halal certification through the Halal Industry Development
Corporation (HDC).

Among the countries keen to utilise such services are Turkey, China and the Chechen Republic.

Various discussions have been held with the countries interested,
beginning with the Ningxia government in China, said the government’s
initiatives and achievements report (November 2003-March 2009) released
by the Prime Minister’s Department today.

HDC was set up on Sept 18, 2006, with the aim of developing the halal industry.

It has succeeded in improving the halal certification process,
cutting down the waiting period to 30 days from six to eight months
previously.

Since April 2, 2008, the halal certification approval panel has held six meetings and approved a total of 517 applications.

For international certifications, a total of 11 applications have been
approved, including from Thailand, Australia and China, the report said.

It added that a one-stop centre has been set up to facilitate
investors in getting information on Malaysia’s halal and related
services.