Malaysia Halal industry moving into second phase

KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 (Bernama) -- Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) is focusing to develop more industry players to ensure that the sector becomes a significant contributor to the economy.
This formed the second phase of the Halal Industry Masterplan rollout, HDC chief executive officer Datuk Jamil Bidin told Bernama in an interview.
"Now we are moving into the second phase which is also in line with the 10th Malaysia Plan and our mission is to focus on developing industry players," Jamil said.
Over the near term, HDC planned to promote 20 successful local companies abroad so that they could get greater exposure and increase commercialisation of their products catering for the global market, he said.
The Halal Industry Masterplan is a comprehensive blueprint encompassing a three-phase roadmap for the development of the country's halal industry.
The plan has been divided into three phases, with the first phase from 2006 to 2010, second phase from 2011 to 2015 and third phase from 2016 to 2020.
HDC has made Malaysia as a reference centre by countries for matters relating to the industry in certification, standard development, training, and research and development.
Malaysian halal standards and halal logo have received worldwide recognition for maintaining excellence.
Jamil said HDC would join hands with other government agencies like SME Corp to enhance the capability of small and medium scale entrepreneurs (SMEs) and develop them into competent suppliers.
"We will work with other government agencies across all sectors. We must nurture and develop SMEs through the provision of financial and non-financial services to become bigger players and be exporters who can generate more export revenue," he said.
HDC would continue support quality investment, either foreign direct investment or domestic investment, into the country's halal industry through various promotion activities, Jamil said.
To date, there are 20 halal parks located throughout the country developed in cooperation with the respective state governments and the private sector.
Those already in operation include the halal park in the Port Klang Free Zone, Selangor Halal Hub, Pedas Halal Park in Negeri Sembilan, Serkam Halal Food Park in Melaka and the Tanjung Manis Halal Hub in Sarawak.
In another development, HDC is organising the Third World Halal Research Summit 2010 in line with the effort to focus on a more holistic approach to develop a "halal eco-system" to make Malaysia a global halal hub through research and development.
The three-day event from June 23 to 25 with the theme "Inspiring Innovation Through Halal Research" will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Jamil said the summit is expected to become a platform for scientists, researchers, scholars and academicians to present, share and exchange ideas on new research findings, emerging technologies, product innovations, issues and challenges in the global halal industry.
"This event can foster the development of knowledge-based human capital which is vital for the growth of the halal industry in Malaysia and globally," he said. (By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar/ Bernama)