KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 — A new mechanism or process needs to be implemented to speed up the issuance of halal certificates, which currently takes about nine months due to several constraints, including bureaucracy, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said the matter was agreed upon at the Malaysian Halal Council meeting today.

"The process of issuing halal certificates should be expedited, but by complying with the stipulated conditions without compromising on quality and standards... we should do away with the silo approach.

"This is because there are more than 200,000 halal companies,” he told a press conference after launching the Halal Industry Master Plan 2030 (HIMP 2030) at the Parliament Building here today.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also the chairman of the Malaysian Halal Development Council, said the crafting of the Halal Industry Master Plan 2030 was timely as the country sought to strategically capitalise on the growing global demand for halal products and services.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also the chairman of the Malaysian Halal Development Council, said the crafting of the Halal Industry Master Plan 2030 was timely as the country sought to strategically capitalise on the growing global demand for halal products and services.

This, he said, would strengthen Malaysia’s leadership role by leveraging the nation’s world-recognised halal industry ecosystem and cumulative expertise.

He suggested that the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) 2023 to be held from Sept 12 to Sept 15 and would involve product manufacturers and industry players, to also carry out a business matching programme.

"Business matching with friends, smart partnerships abroad need to be implemented so that these halal products can be exported to markets with great potential through business partners or partners in the halal business sector abroad,” he added. — Bernama