In an interview with FMT, Invest Selangor CEO Hasan Azhari Idris said there was an abundance of opportunities in the growth of global halalan toyyiban trade and industries (GHTTI), which the state wanted to tap.
“The halal trade is massive. It goes beyond food, which includes food services and processing. You’re talking about cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, clothing, finance and tourism services among others.
“The halal trade cuts across many consumer goods and services, so now more than ever, we need to be a part of this, and for Invest Selangor, we want to bring in industry players and support services to make Selangor their hub.”
“There will be some 2.2 billion Muslims throughout the world by 2030, but the market isn’t limited to Muslims alone.”
Hasan said Malaysian-made halal products could be marketed and sold the world over as industry players had to meet international hygiene and food safety standards.
Hasan said Selangor was already known for its manufacturing industry, well developed infrastructure, huge talent pool and strategic location, being home to Port Klang, the world’s 11th largest port, located along the busy Malacca Straits, as well as two world-class airports.
He added that Selangor already had a strong foothold in the halal sector, with 30% of Malaysia’s halal-certified companies based in the state.
“In fact, Nestlé Malaysia, which is based in Selangor, has even been appointed as Nestlé’s Halal Centre of Excellence worldwide.”
Hasan said that aside from drawing new industry players to the state, the Selangor government had also established the Selangor Halal Council which oversees the development and growth of the halal industry in the state.
“On top of that, the state has also set up Halal International Selangor (HIS), which is tasked with creating a smooth and hassle-free global halal ecosystem, where companies can set up their operations and businesses quickly.
HIS he said, also connected key players and opened up opportunities for prospective halal-assured organisations looking to expand across international borders.
“HIS has also developed a 700-acre Halal Hub on Pulau Indah which provides industry players with a high-tech platform and infrastructure.
“The Selangor government provides additional tax incentives on top of those given by the federal government for halal industry players, making it rather difficult for people to pass up the chance to set up their operations here,” he quipped.
Hasan said he hoped halal industry players, from big corporations to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), prospective clients and those providing support services attend this year’s Selangor International Expo, as the halal sector would be one of the key industries featured.
The Selangor International Expo 2017 is to be held from September 14-17, and will be one of the components of a 10-day event, the Selangor International Business Summit 2017, which will run from September 7-17.
The other two components are the Selangor Smart City & Future Commerce Convention 2017 which will run from September 7-9, and the Selangor-Asean Business Conference 2017 from September 11-12 at the Setia City Convention Centre (SCCC) in Shah Alam.