Trade Minister Zulhas: Diaspora Plays An Important Role In Increasing Consumption Of Halal Products Abroad

Photo: Doc. Antara

JAKARTA - Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan said that the increasing consumption of halal products in the world is a breath of fresh air for the government to develop Indonesia as a center for trading in world halal products through diaspora abroad.

This was conveyed by Zulkifli when reviewing the implementation of the halal product bazaar which is carried out routinely every month by the Istiqlal Osaka (MIO) Mosque in Osaka, Japan on Saturday, October 28.

The halal products displayed in the bazaar are products produced by seven Indonesian business actors who are Indonesian diaspora in Japan.

"The participation of the Indonesian diaspora in Osaka provides fresh air for the government's efforts to develop Indonesia as a center for trading in halal products in the world," Zulkifli said in a written statement in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Sunday, October 29.

Zulkifli said that in 2024, the consumption of halal products in the world is projected to reach 3.2 trillion US dollars. According to him, this is a good opportunity that must be utilized by the Indonesian diaspora in Osaka.

The products displayed in the MIO bazaar are clothing, fried onions, crackers, pia, various ready-to-eat foods, Muslim clothing, and beauty services.

In addition, on the 1st floor of MOI, there is the Halal Mart MIO which provides various food and beverage products as well as other halal needs for consumers. Some of these products in the Halal Mart MIO are imported from Indonesia and produced directly by Indonesian diaspora in Osaka.

In addition to the halal bazaar activity, since mid-2023, it has been explored by automatic sales machines specifically for halalverse machines on the MIO page, which is the result of collaboration with MIO and ITPC Osaka.

"We provide support and facilitation and encouragement to Indonesian diaspora in Japan, especially in Osaka to develop halal food and beverage products," said Head of the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) Osaka RM Dicky Farabi.

The Osaka Istiqlal Mosque was founded on January 12, 2022 and is the only mosque in Osaka. This mosque has a capacity of up to 1,500 people. The Osaka Istiqlal Mosque stands because of the increasing number of Indonesian Muslim communities in Osaka and its surroundings.

The population of Indonesian citizens in the Kansai region which includes Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, Wakayama, Shiga, and Mie was recorded as 5,679 people with 70 percent of them Muslim.