Ministry role in halal process opposed

The Jakarta Post: A bill requiring the involvement of ministries in the halal certification process would lead to time-consuming and costly bureaucratic procedures, members of the business community have said.

Thomas Sembiring, head of the Indonesian Beef Importers Association (Aspidi), said Tuesday his association had urged the government to maintain the certification process for halal products managed by the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI).

Halal foods are those permissible under Islam.

Halal certification is voluntary for producers and involves affixing a special label to food, drugs and cosmetic products.

"Thus far, MUI has done a good job of managing the process of certification, which guarantees the quality of our products," he said on the sidelines of a hearing before the House of Representatives' Commission VIII on religious affairs, social affairs and women's empowerment.

If the bill is implemented without proper revisions, the government will have to establish a new body responsible for overseeing the certification process, in addition to involving the agriculture and religious affairs ministries, he added.

"The government's involvement could force local companies to spend a lot of time (completing the process), which would also be costly."

Under the current process, certification takes between three to six months to complete and costs between Rp 2 million (US$ 215) and Rp 6 million. The certificate is valid for two years and can be extended.

Paulus Rusli, secretary general for the Indonesian Association of Halal Product Manufacturers (APPHI), said the government should instead supervise and raise public awareness of halal products, especially to assist small and micro-producers across the country.

"I suggest the government not interfere with the halal certification process and instead assign the MUI to take over responsibility," he said, adding the bill did require any significant changes to be made to the current, MUI-managed process.

MUI says up to 2,800 companies have so far obtained halal certificates, including foreign firms, which account for 51 percent of the certificates requested.

There are currently 3,742 different types of halal products, out of 2.5 million products marketed domestically, including food, beverages and cosmetic products, according to the Indonesian Food and Beverage Producers Association (Gapmmi).

Around 85 percent of Indonesia's nearly 230 million inhabitants are Muslim, comprising the world's largest Muslim population.