Industry players: Capitalise on halal economy or risk being left behind Category: Home, Industry News UK & World

9/8/12 themalaysianreserve.com

MAINTAINING PACK LEADER POSITION: (From left) Kontena Nasional CEO Hood Osman, HDC’s Jamil and Nestlé Malaysia Bhd executive director Zainun Nur Abd Rauf at the roundtable discussion. Jamil says halal means business and as a country, Malaysia should not miss this although it is the first mover of the industry. He says others might catch up and Malaysia may be left behind (pic: Ismail Che Rus)

With a growing global Muslim community, existing gaps in the local halal industry supply chain need to be addressed urgently to ensure Malaysia continues to be at the forefront of the halal economy and not seen as a laggard.

This can be addressed by bringing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) up to par and getting more players to participate in the supply chain of the local halal industry.

Industry players also voiced the need for the government and the private sector to look at the halal economy from a business perspective instead of purely a religious one, to fully capitalise on opportunities so that Malaysia is not left behind in meeting the burgeoning global demand for halal products.

These concerns were raised by industry players at The Malaysian Reserve (TMR) roundtable discussion on the halal economy last month. The participants included Halal Industry Development Corp (HDC) chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Seri Jamil Bidin.

The roundtable discussion was hosted by HDC and moderated by TMR chief operating officer/group editor Abdul Halim Wahab.