Modern Halal Valley becomes first industrial zone in Indonesia to be halal-certified
JAKARTA – Modern Halal Valley has become the first industrial zone in Indonesia to receive halal certification from Indonesia’s national halal body BPJPH.
Prof. Sukoso, the head of BPJPH, confirmed with Salaam Gateway that a team from his agency visited the industrial zone in August to conduct an on-site inspection.
“Yes, the Ministry of Industry asked us to send an onsite verification team and we did so last month,” said Prof. Sukoso.
Modern Halal Valley is part of the Modern Cikande Industrial Estate that two months ago applied to operate as a halal industrial zone via the Ministry of Industry’s national information system SIINas.
Afdhal Aliasar, Director of Islamic Economy Development and Halal Industry at the National Islamic Finance and Economy Committee (KNEKS) told Salaam Gateway the on-site verification team consisted of representatives from the Ministry of Industry, BPJPH and Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI). MUI provides halal certification services to BPJPH, including halal auditing and issuing fatawa. The team recommended the issuance of the Halal Statement Letter to the Ministry of Industry, said Afdhal.
The decision came after Modern Halal Valley was found to meet all requirements set by Ministry Regulation Number 17/2020 on Halal Industrial Estate Statement Letter Procedure.
“They meet all the halal requirements, including that it has industrial estate expansion permit (IUKI/ IPKI), has halal industrial estate masterplan, is equipped with industrial estate separator (between halal and non-halal), laboratories, halal audit institutions, water treatment instalments, management offices, and halal management systems and teams,” said Afdhal.
The 500-hectare Modern Halal Valley is located in Banten, around 100 kilometres west of Jakarta.
Dr. Marco Tieman, the zone’s project director told Salaam Gateway Modern Halal Valley will include halal supplying industries, producers of end-products, supporting industries, logistics service providers, laboratories, and Islamic banking and finance. There is also an SME programme to support small businesses and which includes training, coaching, and financial support. He also pointed out that the water supply is halal-certified by MUI.
Modern Halal Valley is part of a Halal Cluster Network of four zones that signed an agreement in April 2019 to cooperate and work together. The other three zones are Iskandar Halal Park and Penang International Halal Hub in Malaysia, and Cluster Halal Cordoba in Spain.
“Operating from a halal cluster simplifies halal production and supply chain management for industries and better protects your licence to operate for companies serving Muslim markets in Indonesia and beyond,” said Dr. Tieman.
The four will work together to achieve synergies as halal zones, and other areas of collaboration include in halal assurance, sourcing, market access, joint promotion and research and development.
(Reporting by Yosi Winosa; Editing by Emmy Abdul Alim emmy.abdulalim@salaamgateway.com)
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