KUALA LUMPUR,. Malaysian halal entrepreneurs will soon have an easier time penetrating into Indonesia with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries on halal products assurance and certification in April.

Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), Malaysia Halal Council director, Datuk Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee, said the MoU between the Indonesian Religious Affairs Ministry’s Halal Products Assurance Agency (BPJPH) and Jakim would allow entry into the Indonesian market without going through the halal certification from the Indonesian Ulama Council.

“This agreement will allow our products to enter Indonesia without the need ‘double certification’, requiring only a Jakim halal certificate,” he told Bernama after the Malaysia Halal Expo 2019 (MHE2019) Pocket Talk session “Malaysia to Japan for 2019 Olympics” here today.

Sirajuddin said negotiations on the agreement had been ongoing for three years and was about 80 per cent completed.

“This is on halal products assurance and it gives the BPJPH the power to supervise halal products (certification),” he said.

Presenting on the topic “Halal certification from Malaysia adds value to products”, Sirajuddin touched on the trust given by other countries to Jakim’s halal logo has helped increase the sales and market expansion for local products.

The three-day MHE2019 which ends today was organised by SME Corporation Malaysia and featured 320 exhibition booths from entrepreneurs in various industries including food and beverage, cosmetics, halal ingredients, logistics, bio-technology, pharmaceutical and self-care. — Bernama