Indonesia, Mexico discuss mutual halal certificate recognition

Indonesia and Mexico are in talks that could lead to the Southeast Asian country recognizing Mexican halal certificates.

The Indonesian Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) has been in discussion with Mexico for a possible mutual recognition agreement of halal certificates.

Should the deal go through, Jakarta will accept the halal certificates issued by Mexican certifiers, according to Indonesian diplomat Fiki Oktanio. He declined to comment on the timeline of the recognition agreement. 

Indonesia requires all imported products to be halal-certified by October 2024, Jakarta Globe reported. 

“BPJPH has to verify and assess the certifiers [in Mexico] to make sure they meet our standards,” Oktanio told reporters on the sidelines of the Indonesian-Latin America and the Caribbean (INA-LAC) Business Forum in Jakarta.

“It is a win-win. We need products from Mexico and other Latin American economies. Halal [certification] is necessary, … especially when we talk about food products. … Mexico also wishes to have its products enter the Indonesian market [to fix] the current bilateral trade balance that is currently in Indonesia’s favor,” Oktanio added. 

According to government figures, trade between the two countries stood at $2 billion in 2022.

Indonesia is also currently discussing similar mutual recognition pacts of halal assurance schemes with Argentina and Chile.