SELANGOR is one of the few states in Malaysia that takes its halal industry development seriously . Though much work is still needed in promoting its halal SMEs globally , the engine that moves the State ’ s halal industry forward - Halal International Selangor ( HIS ), through HIS Toyyiba Sdn Bhd , has worked tirelessly in 2022 to ensure the visibility of Selangor ’ s halal sector locally and abroad . Throughout the year , HIS has organised various activities to assist local businesses in exploring endless opportunities in the global halal market . It also participated in many halal exhibitions and brought a number of the State ’ s entrepreneurs to promote their products at the events . HIS actively engages with stakeholders and discusses the potential cooperation between them and the Selangor government .
“ There are many activities that HIS conducted in 2022 . We are very active in promoting Selangor ‘ s halal industry . First and foremost , we have the Halal Capacity Development : Training and Guidance Programme . Through this programme , we implement awareness , competency and professional training .
“ We guide industry players towards obtaining Malaysia ’ s halal certification . We conduct training physically and virtually ,” shared Mat Ghazali Abd Rakim , Chief Executive Officer of HIS .
HIS consistently ensures that its training modules are frequently updated to cater to the industry ’ s needs and comply with the requirement of the authorities . The agency ’ s modules include various categories , such as
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Mat Ghazali Abd Rakim |
food and beverages , pharmaceuticals , cosmetics , logistics , halal audits based on ISO , and many more .
“ We plan to improve our modules through collaboration with government and private agencies such as the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia ( JAKIM ), Halal Development Corporation ( HDC ), etc .”
BUILDING HALAL NETWORKS LOCALLY AND ABROAD
In collaboration with the Selangor Islamic Religious Affairs , Consumer Affairs and Halal Industry Standing Committee , HIS organised the Selangor International Halal Convention ( SELHAC ) 2022 , which comprises three components - exhibition , business matchings and halal forum .
“ Business matchings at SELHAC 2022 recorded a revenue of RM37.73 million . The booths at the exhibition also received good response from Selangor
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entrepreneurs and other states ,” said Mat Ghazali .
“ In 2022 , we attended various halal expos in Malaysia and abroad . In Malaysia , we participated in the Selangor International Business Summit ( SIBS ), Malaysia International Halal Showcase ( MIHAS ) and Penang International Halal Expo and Conference ( PIHEC ).
“ We also went to Indonesia , the United Kingdom , Thailand , Australia and Dubai and attended the expos held in the countries . Through these participations , we strengthened our networking with players from the respective states and countries .”
HIS joined the Selangor delegation led by Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni to foreign countries to explore market potential further and promote Selangor ’ s halal programmes and products .
“ Aside from doing promotion , we wanted to explain to these countries the importance of exporting their products to Malaysia and importing Malaysian products to their countries .”
SELANGOR ’ S HALAL INITIATIVES
He then shared the HALALSEL initiative , a digital application dedicated to the public to use as their reference in locating halal restaurants in Selangor . It will then be extended to other features for halal .
“ Another initiative is Halal Suri . It is a programme where we guide women in the State to become halal entrepre-
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