The inaugural joint Halal training is curated specially for Singapore-based businesses that wish to produce or sell Halal products in Indonesia

Introduced in 2014, the Indonesian Law No. 33 Year 2014 on Halal Product Assurance, stated that products circulating in Indonesia must be Halal certified. This will be enforced in phases from 17 October 2024, starting with food and beverage products. To make the process of exporting products to Indonesia easier, Warees Halal Limited (WHL), a government-linked company within the Muis Group, has signed a partnership agreement with PT Insan Halal Terpercaya (IHATEC).

Witnessed by Ms. Dewi Hartaty Suratty, Chief Executive Officer of WHL, and Mr. Aditya Yudha, Manager of IHATEC, Hj. Sallim Abdul Kadir, Chairman of WHL, signed the agreement on 14 April 2023 with Mr. Nur Wahid, Commissioner of IHATEC. The signing ceremony was held virtually and announced against the backdrop of Food&Hotel Asia (FHA) 2023, held at Singapore EXPO from 25 to 28 April 2023. 

This exclusive partnership will offer a 4-day training programme to Singapore-based businesses that wish to produce in or export to Indonesia. This inaugural programme provides an overview of the latest Halal policies, certification process and export procedures in Indonesia. It will be conducted either online or in a physical classroom in Singapore.

According to the 2020 census results¹ by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the population of Indonesia stood at 270.2 million. With close to 71 percent of the population classified under the productive age of 15 to 64 years old, Indonesia is poised to become one of the world’s largest economies. As a nation where Islam is the most predominant religion, Indonesia has the biggest Muslim population in the world. 

Coupled by favourable gross domestic product (GDP) of about 5 percent² and strong inward foreign investments³, the growth potential for Halal trade in Indonesia is booming.

In another report by Bank Indonesia, the Sharia Economy and Finance Report 2020⁴, the domestic spending across Halal economy products and services stood at $184 billion in 2020 and is projected to increase by 14.96 percent CAGR to reach $281.6 billion by 2025. 

The Indonesia Halal Markets Report 2021/2022⁵ published by DinarStandard and Indonesia Halal Lifestyle Center (IHLC) also showcased Indonesia’s tremendous potential in the domestic Halal economy. Whilst relatively low, imports of Halal products into Indonesia valued at $10 billion in 2020 in addition to $5 billion in investments in Halal economy sectors. The report also stated that Halal consumers spend on Halal food and beverage in Indonesia is expected to reach $205 million in 2025.

“As one of the biggest markets for Halal food, Indonesia brings vast opportunities for Singapore businesses. Being an organisation that provides holistic Halal services, Warees Halal acknowledges the interest of our local businesses that are keen to export their products to Indonesia. We are here to assist and provide clarity and a better understanding of both the export and Halal certification requirements for Indonesia and this is made possible through our partnership with PT Insan Halal Terpercaya (IHATEC). We are very pleased to see our discussion coming to fruition with the first training programme expected to be conducted on 24 July 2023 via online mode,” said Ms. Dewi Hartaty Suratty, Chief Executive Officer, Warees Halal Limited.

Ms. Evrin Lutfika, Director of PT Insan Halal Terpercaya (IHATEC), said, “This initiative is a stepping stone for IHATEC to connect with businesses from Singapore that want to export to our country, Indonesia. We are very happy to formalise our relationship with Warees Halal and jointly collaborate to help provide a better understanding of the regulations relating to Hala,l certification, assurance and export. We hope through the knowledge the businesses gain from the training programme, they will be more confident in preparing the necessary documentations and have a smoother export experience.”

Committed to Build Industry Capabilities

As announced at FHA 2022, WHL has entered into a partnership with Temasek Polytechnic (TP) to provide more comprehensive support for businesses in the areas of capacity building, research, and testing to facilitate the development, compliance, and trade of Halal products and services globally. The collaboration also established a structured learning pathway for tertiary students and adult learners to be equipped with relevant and up-to-date knowledge, skills and tools throughout their career in the Halal and food industry.

Kicking off this collaboration, an accelerated course entitled ‘Fundamentals of Food Science and Halal Certification Management’ was successfully conducted from 13 March to 26 April 2023. The course equipped learners with the knowledge and skills to better manage and maintain their Halal certification through foundational knowledge of food science, the Halal industry as well as certification requirements and compliance. This collaboration is a milestone attempt to integrate topics on Halal food quality with innovation and industry transformation targeted at different learner levels.

As an Approved Training Organisation (ATO) by SkillsFuture Singapore, WHL is committed to being a reliable knowledge partner to continue building industry capabilities with well-thought-out programmes that equip businesses with knowledge and skills on Halal certification and Halal-related topics. We train more than 1,500 industry professionals annually.

1 https://setkab.go.id/en/statistics-indonesia-releases-2020-census-results/

2 https://www.adb.org/countries/indonesia/economy

3 https://www.aseanbriefing.com/news/indonesias-breakthrough-year-for-foreign-investment-in-2022/

4 https://www.bi.go.id/en/publikasi/laporan/Documents/Sharia_Economy_%26_Finance_Report_2020.pdf

5 https://isef.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ReportIndonesiaHalal2021_2022.pdf

About Warees Halal Limited

Warees Halal Limited (WHL) is a government-linked company within the Muis Group. Muis, also known as the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, is a statutory board in charge of Muslim affairs in Singapore. The formation of Warees Halal originated in 2006 with the intent to support Muis in its implementation of the Singapore Muis Halal Standards and to bring benefits to the Singapore Muslim Community.

WHL aims to be a holistic Halal solutions provider for businesses by providing international certification, capacity building, advisory, and trade-link services. WHL is the only authorised agency by Muis to provide Halal certification services outside Singapore based on the Singapore Muis Halal Standards and the Singapore Muis Halal Quality Management System. WHL’s international clients range from product manufacturers, kitchen operators, and food service establishments such as Cofco (China), Umaiya (Japan), Byul Food (Korea), Fuji Oil (Belgium), and more.

For more information, please visit www.wareeshalal.sg.

About PT Insan Halal Terpercaya (IHATEC)

PT Insan Halal Terpercaya (IHATEC), also known as Indonesia Halal Training & Education Center, is a training, education, and consulting institution in the broad Halal field, which includes Halal products, services, and other Halal aspects. IHATEC was founded in 2017 and started from the need for Halal training for companies that will certify Halal products. Over time, IHATEC has developed into an accredited training institution by the Accreditation Agency – Job Training Institute (LA-LPK) and recognised by the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) supporting companies, Halal certification bodies, universities, and other related parties with professionalisation mattersFor more information, please visit www.ihatec.com.