JAKARTA – Indonesia’s State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir has launched a programme to improve Indonesian halal products’ market penetration through the Islamic Economic Society (MES) in countries such as Russia, Morocco, Sudan, Singapore, South Korea, China and Saudi Arabia.
“To support product development internationally, MES has ventured to open networks in several regions abroad,” Antara news agency quoted Thohir as saying during the launch of the new Islamic Economic Society logo and the commemoration of the 2021 National Santri Day in Jakarta yesterday.
He said currently, he is also trying to open the MES network in Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Thailand, and Brunei – especially through the Indonesian diaspora who live in these countries.
Collaboration between the shariah industry and the government – as well as Islamic boarding schools and its students – is a must at the present time because Covid-19 has had a significant impact on all sectors, the minister said.
Therefore, he believes that the economic balance must be maintained.
“Do not let big businesses get bigger, while small ones get smaller,” he cautioned.
He also thanked the president and vice-president for continuing to formulate excellent policies to ensure economic balance, including emphasising job creation and creating new entrepreneurs.
Earlier, Indonesia Vice-President Ma’ruf Amin had pressed for augmenting the exports of Indonesian halal products to foreign nations – especially Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) members.
“Indonesia’s potential as a market for Muslim products should be followed by efforts to improve the nation’s export performance abroad, especially to OIC countries,” Amin said while opening the online Indonesia Industrial Moslem Exhibition here on Thursday.
Based on data from the Economic Outlook for 2020 released by OIC, Indonesia is the fifth-largest exporter of halal products globally.
“Indonesia is the fifth-largest exporter at 9.3%, after Saudi Arabia (14.5%), Malaysia (13.3%), the UAE (12.3%), and Turkey (10.1%),” Amin said.
In addition, Indonesia is the fourth-largest importer of halal products (8.4%) after the UAE (12.2%), Turkey (12.1%), and Malaysia (11.8%).
“Hence, Indonesia must work harder and strive to dominate the world halal market, especially in OIC countries,” he said. – Bernama, October 23, 2021
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