Recent Global Halal Industry Development

a) Brunei

Brunei Halal is an official Halal certification issued by Ministry of Religious Affairs. It

is mainly handled by Ministry of Religious Affaires but it is also supported by Ministry of
Energy and Industry. The government of Brunei is aiming to expand their sales of halal food
to the ethical consumers beyond the range of Muslims in the country (Mifc, 2014).Regarding
to this, in order to create a halal food processing and distribution base, the Sultanate recently
signed a memorandum of understanding with the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of
People’s Republic of China. According to the report of 2016 from the 35 companies in
Brunei, the local halal industry raked in $88 million in revenue and employed 835 companies.
In Brunei there are some major companies which certified by Brunei Halal. One of that is
Ghanim International which a national company for Brunei Halal Promotion. The company
sell products in both domestically and internationally via Tesco and Lulu Hypermarket
networks in Brunei. Besides that, this Ghanim International Corporation also made an entry
to UK market which said by the minister of Brunei (Othman. u, 2017). Moreover, it also
provides marketing service for SMEs in Brunei and aims to their own production capacity.
For an example, a Japanese company which supplies soy related products and certified as
(OEM) Original Equipment Manufacturer, will pass the products to Ghanim. After passes to
Ghanim, they will provide package design and marketing functions to it. Besides all over this,
the authorities of Brunei also wish to raise up their halal certification standards in order to
maintain high food quality, health and goodness of the product. Based on such considerations,
the intention of Brunei is to become a lead in global halal food industry for all ethical
consumers.
b) Malaysia

Malaysia is recognised as one of the global leaders of the Halal industry, once again
leading the Global Islamic Economic Indicator for the fifth year in a row as reported
by The State of the Islamic Economy Global Report 2018/2019.

The country’s success as a leading pioneer in the Halal industry began in 1974 when
the Research Centre for the Islamic Affairs Division in the Prime Minister’s Office
began issuing a standardised Halal certification which today, has become the most
sought-after Halal logo for its instant global recognition.

This historic step became the catalyst that set into motion a string of initiatives
supported by effective frameworks from Malaysia’s governmental institutions, which
most notably includes pioneering the development of Islamic banking and finance to
cement the country’s status as a global Halal hub.

Today, Malaysia exemplifies a country that support the growth of global Halal
ecosystem, which in addition to Halal certification systems and Islamic banking, also
encompasses standards and regulations, infrastructure, logistics and human capital
development.

A Trusted Partner in the Global Halal Industry

With the total spending of the halal economy reaching US$2.1 trillion 2017 and
expected to rise to US$3 trillion in 2023 (Source: Thomson Reuters), Malaysia has
undertaken important initiatives across regulation, trade, and industry to further
develop the Halal industry.

One distinguished initiative is harmonising Halal accreditation across the world.

Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM), a body that recognises 67
certification authorities from 41 countries, is working towards establishing a world
body that unifies Halal standards in order to benefit Muslim consumers,
manufacturers, and traders around the world.

Another exciting development that kicked off in the fourth quarter of 2018 is
Malaysia's strategic partnership in the “Halal Silk Route”, which is set to change the
logistics landscape between Malaysia and China. The “Halal Silk Route” promises
end-to-end logistics services with integrated Halal value-added services, hassle-free
documentation processes, and competitive transportation cost. This initiative links
the 2.1 billion global Muslim population through the trade of Halal products, and is
considered to be the missing link that completes the Halal trade value chain globally.

In addition to these unifying initiatives, Malaysia is also increasing its contribution to

the global Halal market with initiatives supporting the development of local
companies with products and services that serve the Muslim consumer.