Selangor Halal
COVER STORY
@ HalalSpecial Edition | November-December . 2022
Advancing the halal industry
The introduction of the halal industry portfolio in Selangor makes its halal industry visibly competitive
SELANGOR possesses all the necessary ingredients - strategic location , good infrastructure and highly skilled workforce - to become the most competitive player in the halal industry . The Selangor government ’ s decision to introduce the halal industry portfolio in 2020 is proven smart as the State ’ s halal sector is now becoming more visible in Malaysia ’ s halal market .
“ The introduction of the halal industry portfolio in Selangor is , first , to empower the State ’ s halal industry by connecting the industry to the one responsible for the halal certification management . Previously , they were under different portfolios ,” said Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni , Selangor Exco and the Chairman of Islamic Religious Affairs , Consumer Affairs and Halal Industry Standing Committee .
“ The halal industry portfolio helps to bridge these two entities so they can move towards the same direction of empowering the halal industry in Selangor .”
Zawawi said among the challenges he found while holding the halal industry portfolio was engaging with the State ’ s halal industry players due to the need for more data . He and his team are collecting the necessary data by meeting with related non-governmental organisations
( NGOs ) such as manufacturer associations and Dewan Perdagangan Islam Malaysia ( DPIM ).
“ We invite these NGOs to participate in activities organised by the Standing Committee . Recently , we met with Majlis Tindakan Pengguna Negara ( MTPN ), where most of the members are industry players . They also have the halal industry segment in their association .
“ The second challenge was to advance the State ’ s halal industry and make it more viable in this challenging economic phase . We see that many still need to grab the big potential and opportunities the halal industry offers . We actively inform entrepreneurs and the public about these opportunities through seminars and forums .”
THE SUCCESS OF SELHAC 2022
The pandemic was also a big challenge to Zawawi and his team . Despite many restrictions , last March , the State ’ s Halal Industry Standing Committee still organised the Selangor International Halal Convention ( SELHAC ) 2022 . As a result of their resilience , the convention managed to record an outstanding transaction value of RM37.73 million through its business matchings .
“ We offered 100 booths at the event . Alhamdulillah , the response was good . But some companies had to cancel their participation as their staff tested positive for Covid-19 . Some withdrew from the event as they could not bring their products due to the movement restrictions . Visitors were also in a dilemma as they were worried about social distancing , etc .
“ Nevertheless , even with such a situation , alhamdulillah , we managed to achieve an impressive figure ,” he stated .
Besides the exhibition and business matchings , SELHAC 2022 also featured a forum that brought together industry experts , academicians and thought leaders to discuss prominent halal topics and issues .
“ I consider this year ’ s SELHAC a success , and we will expand the scale of its upcoming edition . We target 200 participants for SELHAC 2023 . We ’ re identifying a suitable location that is more accessible to the public .”
BUILDING NETWORKS IN THE HALAL INDUSTRY
The Selangor Islamic Religious Affairs , Consumer Affairs and Halal Industry Standing Committee strives to do networking with halal players from Malaysia and abroad to strengthen its halal industry .
“ One of the missions of establishing this Halal Industry Standing Committee is to explore the market for halal products . We have to go beyond the border of this country for us to build more networks , find strategic partners and market or introduce Selangor ’ s halal products .”
To realise this mission , the Standing Committee visited various countries , including the United Kingdom , Thailand , Indonesia , Australia and India . During their visit to Indonesia , Mohd Zawawi revealed that they managed to meet with Ikatan Saudagar Muslim Indonesia ( ISMI ) at the Habibie Centre .
“ ISMI is an association that has various business backgrounds . It is one of the most influential associations , having a