Kuala Lumpur: To promote the foreign trade development of Southeast Asian countries, ASEAN needs a mutually recognized Halal certification standard.
Datuk Dzulkifli Mahmud, CEO of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation, said ASEAN countries are currently discussing uniformly printing the JAKIM logo on halal certificates. JAKIM is still in talks with ASEAN countries on this matter. 'We hope to reach agreement as soon as possible.'
Dzulkifli said maintaining consistency in ASEAN's halal certification can promote trade not only among internal member states but also with non-ASEAN countries.
On another point, Dzulkifli said the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation hopes JAKIM can improve the timeliness with which enterprises obtain halal certification, in order to promote local trade exports.
'We hope local businesses will produce products using international standards as much as possible and obtain halal certification, which will greatly enhance their market competitiveness.'