Industry
@ Halal | JANUARY-FEBRUARY . 2023
BY FATIHAH MANAF
IN its First Selangor Plan or Rancangan Selangor 1 ( RS-1 ), Selangor has identified nine focus sectors to strengthen its economy , one of them being halal . The move indicates Selangor ’ s plan to position the State as a global halal hub in meeting the future demands for halal products internationally while developing the State ’ s halal industry .
Staying true to this goal , the State , through its halal industry standing committee , will organise the Selangor International Halal Convention ( SELHAC ) from March 10 to 12 , 2023 , to move forward with its halal initiatives .
Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni , Selangor government exco and the Chairman of Islamic Religious Affairs , Consumer Affairs and Halal Industry Standing Committee , expressed his excitement towards the upcoming event . He shared that SELHAC consisted of four main components : conference , exhibition , business matchings , training and workshops .
“ These elements will help producers of halal products to sell their products at bigger supermarkets . At the same time , industry players will gain more information and knowledge from our conference . The first two days of SELHAC will focus more on businessto-business ( B2B ), while the last day is for business-to-consumer ( B2C ). “
For this year ’ s event , the State targets to achieve RM50 million of business matchings value , with an expected footfall of 8,000 visitors .
SELHAC HELPS BUSINESSES TO BE MORE VISIBLE
SELHAC is the leading platform in Selangor for buyers and producers of halal products and services . Through their participation in SELHAC , halal players can expand their market in Southeast Asia and other countries .
“ SELHAC 2022 has shown the achievement of business matching totalling RM38 million , exceeding the initial target of RM20 million . Among the companies that succeeded in getting new business was Harz Chummi , which successfully marketed its products at Petronas Mesra throughout Malaysia ,” said Zawawi .
“ The feedback from industry players is they want the event to continue . So , we planned to have SELHAC 2.0 , a bigger event . We will have 200 booths this time at World Trade Centre , Kuala Lumpur ( WTCKL ).”
SELHAC 2023 focuses on developing an established halal industry with great economic potential and high demand from sellers , buyers and consumers . The event seeks to provide an integrated halal platform for industry players to gain access to other global players .
It also aims to create awareness , exposure , and an in-depth understanding of the management and requirements of halal certification of products and services in the halal industry , especially in the business and banking fields .
“ Interesting activities for adult and young visitors are also being planned to make halal an important brand and agenda for the Selangor government ,” he added .
SELANGOR ’ S HALAL PERFORMANCE
Commenting on the performance of the State ’ s halal industry in 2022 , he said : “ Our focus was more general last year . We just started to promote Selangor ’ s halal industry domestically and internationally .”
“ At the national level , we participated in the Penang International Halal Expo & Conference ( PIHEC ) and the Malaysia International Halal Showcase ( MIHAS ). We brought some industry players together to participate in these exhibitions .
Setting
the benchmark
Selangor identifies halal as one of its focus sectors in the First Selangor Plan
SELHAC has become an established brand in Malaysia ' s halal industry .
“ The performance of the halal industry has been positive . We received many enquiries and participation from those interested in knowing more about the sector .”
Zawawi was informed that the application for halal certification was increasing in Selangor - 75 per cent coming from non- Bumiputera applicants and 24.7 per cent from Bumiputera applicants . However , he noted that the limited workforce for audits and visits might delay the approval process .
He also shared that some countries approached Selangor for potential collaborations in the halal industry . Several states showed interest in Selangor ’ s halal programmes and related activities . Selangor is seen as a benchmark , which prompted the State to be more proactive in looking for more halal initiatives instead of just repeating similar ones .
A MORE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
RS-1 , Selangor ’ s five-year state development plan , listed the halal industry as one of the sectors that will help the State ’ s economic growth . Among the key strategies include strengthening the core strategic industries and improving the State ’ s competitiveness .
“ Venturing into new markets is one of the main strategies to develop the halal market . In addition , improving the value chain and producing value-added products are also high on the priority list .
“ Just like other sectors , automation solutions and digital transformation should be pushed forward to increase productivity and output for players in the halal industry ,” Zawawi elaborated .
To improve the State ’ s competitiveness , he stated that Selangor must create an ecosystem that would encourage entrepreneurship skills among halal players . The state government will assist in increasing the ability and capacity of small and medium enterprises ( SMEs ) through human capital development initiatives .
“ In RS-1 , we planned to create an ingredients database , halal coop , etc . We built an application called HALALSEL . We also planned to expand our halal hub into Selangor Halal Economic Zone ( SHEZ ).”
The State also planned to establish a halal lab with the cooperation of Universiti Selangor ( UNISEL ) to assist halal players in Selangor .
“ In Selangor , we have many facilities .