Malaysia and Indonesia Aim to Strengthen Cooperation on HALAL Certification

Jakarta (Antara News) - Malaysia aims to further align with Indonesian HALAL certification, considering the huge potential of the food and dairy industries, noted Malaysia's Minister of International Trade and Industry, Dato Sri Mustapa Mohamed. 'Although the negotiations have entered the final stage, they have not yet reached 100%,' the minister noted in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia 2015 held here on Monday. Through cooperation with Indonesia, Malaysia also aims to become a major provider of HALAL certification.

Mustapa acknowledged that there are some obstacles hindering the cooperation between Malaysian HALAL and Indonesia, one of which is the concern over the HALAL mark. 'There are still some issues with Malaysia's HALAL certificate being accepted in Indonesia, and vice versa, which must be resolved through HALAL standardization,' he affirmed. In addition to HALAL certification, Malaysia is also committed to increasing investment in Indonesia in various industries, including banking services, infrastructure, telecommunications and plantations. The bilateral trade volume between Malaysia and Indonesia reached US$20 billion until 2013, but declined slightly in 2014. Regarding trade cooperation, Minister Mustapa met Indonesian Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel to discuss commodities such as palm, rubber and cocoa produced by the two countries. 'We have agreed to hold a ministerial meeting of four or five relevant ministers to discuss economy and trade,' he said.

The World Economic Forum on East Asia, themed 'Anchoring Trust in East Asia's New Regionalism,' was held from 19 to 21 April, highlighting three program pillars in the new regional context: the new economic context, and the new civic context. More than 700 participants, representing business, the public sector, science, the arts, civil society and international organizations, attended the forum.