Gov’t Launches Free Halal Certification for Micro, Small Enterprises

The launching of Free Halal Certification Program for micro and small enterprises, Wednesday (08/09). (Photo by: Ministry of Religious Affairs PR)

In a bid to ignite new enthusiasm for micro and small enterprises (MSEs) to rise from the pandemic, the Government through Ministry of Religious Affairs on Wednesday (08/09) launched the Free Halal Certification Program for micro and small business actors.

“Since most of MSEs do not have halal certification, with this program I hope that more and more of our MSEs can penetrate the global halal market,” Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas said in his remarks.

According to the Minister, halal certification is not only to fulfill the requirements of halal, but also to increase a positive image about the product since the global community recognizes that halal products are synonymous with quality and hygiene. He also added that the growth of global halal products continues to increase; it has even become a lifestyle.

On the occasion, Acting Head of the Ministry’s Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) Mastuki said the program is a collaborative action between BPJPH and ministries/institutions, regional governments/agencies, and the private sector.

“In addition to the mandate of Government Regulation No. 39 of 2021, the program also aims to encourage and stimulate the national economy, which is mostly supported by MSE actors,” said Mastuki.

According to Mastuki, the Ministry in 2020 has provided a budget of Rp8 billion to facilitate halal certificates for 3,179 MSEs. In the same year, there were at least 36 regional government offices that assist MSEs in obtaining halal certificates through BPJPH. “The figure is still low since according to our data, there are 13.5 million MSEs that subjected to being halal-certified,” he added.

Mastuki further said that BPJPH is also committed that all halal certification processes are carried out online through Sihalal app.

“Registration, product audits, determination of halal fatwa, and halal certificates issuance are all online-based. This is solely to speed up the process and make it easier for business actors to access halal certification from wherever they are,” Mastuki remarked.

With the digitization of services, the halal e-certificate has digital signature  linked to the Electronic Certification Center (BsrE) system and the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN). In addition, Sihalal app service has also been linked to the Online Single Submission (OSS) for business license and will be developed to be integrated with the Indonesian National Single Window (INSW).

“We also plan to integrate Sihalal with app owned by the Halal Inspection Agency, as well as other apps as part of the halal ecosystem,” Mastuki concluded. (Ministry of Religious Affairs PR/UN) (GWH/LW)