Government Prepares Halal Strategy for Imported Raw Materials

ILLUSTRATION/Aerial photo of a number of container trucks passing through Tanjung Emas Port, Semarang, Central Java, Tuesday (8/4/2025). . ANTARA FOTO/Makna Zaezar/Spt.

JAKARTA - The Head of the Standardization and Industrial Services Policy Agency (BSKJI) of the Ministry of Industry, Emmy Suryandari, said the government was preparing a special strategy to ensure that imported raw materials remained halal standards.

This, according to Emmy, is done considering that about 70 percent of Indonesia's industrial needs still depend on imports, so that the implementation of the halal ecosystem must be maintained from upstream to downstream.

Emmy explained that in the New National Industrialization Strategy (SBIN), the government uses a backward and forward linkage approach to trace the industrial supply chain.

"This raw material is one of the challenges. If the raw materials are in the country, tracing is easier. But when most of the raw materials are imported, it becomes a challenge," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, February 25.

According to him, the Ministry of Industry is preparing a number of steps to ensure that imported raw materials can be defined as halal.

The steps include fulfilling documents, cooperation with the Halal Product Guarantee Organizing Agency (BPJPH), and harmonization of international halal standards.

Emmy added that another challenge is when the industry is required to produce halal goods, but the raw materials do not meet the standards or the halal product market has not been formed.

"This ecosystem is the goal of the Ministry of Industry. Therefore, we have prepared a roadmap for the development of the halal industry 2025-2029 through the Minister of Industry Regulation Number 40 of 2025," he said.

Emmy said that in the roadmap there are six main programs, ranging from the preparation of technical regulations so that halal becomes an operational standard, the development of infrastructure such as the Halal Inspection Agency (LPH), halal raw material centers, halal logistics, to information systems.

Other programs include the development of industrial human resources through cross-ministerial cooperation, facilitation of halal industry with BPJPH and the Ministry of Trade, and the provision of incentives for industries in halal areas.

He gave an example that the pharmaceutical industry still depends on 90 percent of imported raw materials.

"For substitution it takes time, including permission from BPOM. We are working with BPJPH to define certain ingredients that are difficult to find certificates, so that they remain halal-compliant," he said.

Emmy added that the government also encourages industries to utilize domestic raw materials as much as possible, while preparing transition policies for sectors that are still dependent on imports.