Trade Minister Zulhas Urges Halal Certification To Be Fulfilled Until October 2024

JAKARTA - Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan was firm about the obligation to halal certification. With the deadline until October 2024, according to him, it must be implemented and should not be postponed.

This statement was conveyed by Zulkifli in response to the proposal from the Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs Teten Masduki to postpone the implementation of halal certification, especially for MSME products.

"Yes, it must be mandatory (to be certified halal), if you are not ready, when will you be ready? In a year you are not ready, 10 years you are not ready, 100 years you are not ready. This must be trained," Zulhas told reporters in Jakarta, as reported by ANTARA, Saturday, May 4.

According to Zulhas, this policy is implemented for the sake of consumers in Indonesia. They are entitled to products that are not only halal, but also safe, healthy, and hygienic, and this halal certificate is clear evidence that these products meet all these criteria.

Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs Teten Masduki on April 1, 2024 said that the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs would speak with various parties, including the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Halal Product Guarantee Administration (BPJPH) of the Ministry of Religion to discuss mandatory policies of halal certification.

According to Teten, the halal certification deadline set until October 2024 is difficult to achieve, especially by MSME players in the culinary field.

Therefore, Teten proposed two things. First, accelerate certification to facilitate MSMEs, which fall into the green path category, for example, products and raw materials are halal in order to carry out self-declare statements of halal status made by business actors themselves.

Second, Teten proposed a postponement or extension of the deadline so that there would be no violation of the law by MSME actors.

The government through Government Regulation Number 39 of 2021 concerning the Implementation of the Halal Product Guarantee Sector requires three groups of halal certified products in October 2024. The three products are food and beverage products; raw materials, additional food ingredients; as well as products and slaughtering services.

This obligation applies to products produced by large, medium, small and micro businesses such as street vendors.