THAILAND - BANKING - IBank Thailand sets sights on halal export loans

www.bangkokpost.com -The Islamic Bank of Thailand (IBank) plans to increase its focus on halal food exports, with a target of 3 billion baht in loans for the industry this year, says bank president Dheerasak Suwannayos.
The target is a 50% increase from last year, he said. IBank expects to extend 20 billion baht in credit to all sectors this year.
Mr Dheerasak said of Asean's 601 million people, Muslims account for 260 million.
The planned market integration called the Asean Economic Community in 2015 will result in new business opportunities for the Thai halal food industry across the region, he said.  (source)

INDONESIA - HALAL - Indonesia: More imported products declared halal by MUI

www.halalfocus.net - Companies from 37 countries have been granted halal certificates by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), indicating a growing interest in the halal product business in Indonesia, said an Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) executive on Tuesday.
“It is a good sign that Muslims in Indonesia can consume more imported products, which are safe and in compliance with the Islamic law,” said the Institute for Economic Study, Research and Development (LP3ES) Kadin head, Anaz M Fauzi, during a seminar in Jakarta.  (source)

THAILAND - HALAL - PM meets with Indonesian President for talks on bilateral cooperation

www.pattayamail.com - BANGKOK, 1 June 2012  - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra today held a meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on East Asia 2012. 
The meeting is aimed at strengthening their bilateral cooperation on agriculture and food exports, with an emphasis on the Halal food industry. The premier has reiterated that the government is aiming to raise the profile of Thai halal food production and food standards to the world’s 1.9 billion Muslim consumers. (source)

INDONESIA - HALAL - INDHEX 2012 Indonesia Halal Expo (July 5-8, 2012 Jakarta)

www.halalmui.org - LPPOM MUI as halal certification bodies and the world halal center of the duty to disseminate information to the public about the products certified halal. After the success of Indonesia Halal Expo (INDHEX) 2011, again held LPPOM MUI Halal Expo Indonesia (INDHEX) 2012.

With the theme "Halal is My Life", INDHEX 2012 will be held on June 5 to July 8, 2012 at Exhibition Hall SMESCO Building, Jakarta. In addition to disseminating and promoting halal products, the expo will also be held lawful business meeting of producers, suppliers and distributors of halal (Halal Bussiness Forum), a variety of seminars, workshops and competitions themed halal products will also enliven INDHEX 2012.

INDHEX 2011 was held on 24-26 June 2011 at the House SMESCO Jakarta, attended by 128 companies from within and outside the country dg 8316 the number of visitors.

Detailed information about INDHEX 2012 can be downloaded here.  (source)

INDONESIA - HALAL - CEROL launch-SS23000; Halal Certification Services Online Fast, And Transparent

www.halalmui.org - Jakarta - Research Institute for Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI LPPOM) launches Online Certification Service System (CEROL-SS) 23000, on May 24, 2012 in Jakarta. Code number 23 000 on the momentum of this system shows that the MUI LPPOM Milad-23 when the system was developed and launched.
 "This system is designed to be able to provide halal certification services with the concept of fast, easy, transparent but still accurate," said Director of LPPOM MUI, Ir. Lukmanul Hakim, M.Sc., in his speech at the Launching (launch) system, which was attended by government officials staeholder of halal-related, such as POM, businessmen from companies that have filed a new and halal certification. (source)

INDONESIA - HALAL - Mayora Commitment of Halal assurance

www.mayora.com -Mayora,as one of the biggest FMCG company in Indonesia, realizes that Halal assurance for its products is one of the essential pillars in producing high quality and safe to be consumed products. This protects not only Indonesian consumers but also global consumers.
From March to April 2012, every factory within Mayora Group took turn in having an audit process, a pre-requisite to get a Halal certificate extension.  (source)

BRUNEI - HALAL - Brunei Halal eyes European made goods for Asia

www.bt.com.bn - BRUNEI Halal brand is hoping to introduce European-made products in Asia under the brand name in future, as opposed to only having Asian manufactured products distributed in Europe, said the brand's owners, Brunei Wafirah Holdings Sdn Bhd.

Feby Latip, general manager of Brunei Wafirah Holdings, said that the products made under the brand are manufactured in Asia and are only sold in the region, but the company is targeting a wider European scope where its subsidiary office in the United Kingdom will act as a sales and distribution platform.

Feby, in the Oxford Business Group's (OBG) "The Report 2011" for Brunei, said that Europe is a "very self-serving and profit-orientated industry". (source)

WORLD - HALAL - The Economist Report : The Sharia-Conscious Consumer

  Download at www.Halalfocus.net

MALAYSIA - HALAL - Business briefing : effective business entry into the Indonesia Halal Market

wwwhdcglobal.com  - Date : 8 May 2012 (Tuesday) - Time : 1:30 pm – 6:00 pm - Venue : Matrade Exhibition Convention Centre, Level 3, East Wing, Menara MATRADE, Off Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur

HDC is pleased to invite all export ready companies and SMEs to attend “Business Briefing: Effective Entry into Indonesia Halal Market.” This will be our second briefing under the same series, whereby the 1st business briefing was held on 14th March 2012 for market entry to Republic of China.

The event is in collaboration with Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) and Indonesian Embassy. MUI will be represented by their Director of LPPOM/MUI, to present a paper on Indonesia Halal certification process and is ready for Q&As relating to issues faced by our exporters on Halal certification requirements for Indonesian market.  (source)

INDONESIA - CAPITAL MARKETS - Mayora bonds 5 times oversubscribed

www.neraca.co.id - Mayora Indah Tbk PT (MYOR) claims or oversubscribe oversubscribed 5 times over the plan to issue bonds and sukuk mudaraba with a total value of Rp 750 billion. Company Secretary MYOR, Yuni Gunawan, an indication of excess demand for high investor interest in bonds and sukuk offered, "We are delighted with the high interest of investors as indicated by the results of bookbuilding are oversubscribe almost 5 times," he said in Jakarta last weekend.
He also said that interest in bonds and sukuk Mayora mostly domestic investors in detail include insurance companies, pension funds, banks, mutual funds, other institutions and individuals.  (source)

INDONESIA - HALAL - Indonesia 'defeated' by Malaysia on halal product

WWW.REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Halal products from Indonesia is expected to boost the economy sector as the demand continuously increasing. Unfortunately, The potentital has not explored by Indonesia as the producer of halal products yet. Even, the position is under Malaysia, which only has 17 million Muslims The consumers lack of information on local halal food.
“Indonesian halal products mostly use agricultural products. It makes the local content needs increase rapidly,” the Chairman of the Third Indonesian Halal Business and Food Expo (3rd IHBF Expo), Rifda Ammarina, said on Wednesday.  (source)

INDONESIA - HALAL - Tatarstan wishes to have closer ties with Indonesia

www.thejakartapost.com - The Republic of Tatarstan aims to improve its relations with Indonesia as President Rustam Minnikhanov expressed his intention to visit Indonesia at the end of September to meet various economic, trade, industry and tourism stakeholders.

The intention was conveyed to Indonesian Ambassador to Russia, Djauhari Oratmangun, during a visit to the Tatarstan capital city of Kazan on Thursday, the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow said in a media statement sent on Saturday.

Minnikhanov emphasized Tatarstan’s intention to increase tourism cooperation with Indonesia.  (source)

BRUNEI - HALAL - 'Philippine considers Brunei as standard bearer for halal'

www.bt.com.bn - THE Philippines is looking towards Brunei as the standard for its halal industry, a representative from the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) said after a briefing to local business figures on the International Food Exhibition (IFEX) 2013 at the Philippines Embassy.

"We look at Brunei as the standard (for this) because the world knows that when we look to a Halal standard, it's Brunei that is number one," said Romleah Juliet P Ocampo, officer-in-charge at the Agrimarine Division at CITEM.  (source)

INDONESIA - HALAL - Big Potential For M'sia-East Java Entrepreneurs To Develop Halal Industry

www.bernama.com - SURABAYA, April 10 (Bernama) -- Malaysian halal products entrepreneurs and their counterparts in East Java have huge potential in developing the halal industry by using high-technology concepts.

Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) Chairman Tan Sri Syed Jalaludin Syed Salim said the agency is ready to assist such endeavour to attain win-win synergies. (source)

BRUNEI - HALAL - Belgium eyes tie-up in halal certification

www.bt.com.bn - A BUSINESS delegation from Belgium that is keen to partner with Brunei on potential bilateral collaboration would need to meet a stringent requirement in terms of halal certification, says the Director of Administration at the State Mufti's Office.

Speaking to The Brunei Times, Dato Paduka Ahmad Bukhari Pehin Siraja Khatib Hj Abu Hanifah said yesterday there were interesting and brilliant ideas brought forward by the Belgium delegation. The group was led by Wallonia Foreign Trade and Investment Agency (AWEX). (source)

CAMBODIA - BANKING - Financing Cambodia’s Muslims

www.phnompenhpost.com - Islamic finance could help to boost trade between Cambodia and the Middle East, as well as attract investment from Muslim-majority countries, experts said on Saturday.

Knowledge of Islamic finance and banking, which bars interest lending and discourages unfair trade advantages, is almost nonexistent among Cambodia’s Muslims, which comprise about 2 per cent of the country’s population.

But demand for halal business practices is increasing in Malaysia and Middle Eastern countries, according to insiders. (source)

TAIWAN - HALAL - Taiwan promotes 'Muslim Friendly' certification of restaurants

www.focustaiwan.tw - Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) The Tourism Bureau has joined with the Taipei-based Chinese Muslim Association since the beginning of the year to promote the certification of restaurants in Taiwan as being friendly to Muslims.

The new measure was taken amid an increase of visitors from Muslim-dominant areas in China, Malaysia and Indonesia to Taiwan in recent years, said Lin Kun-yuan, head of the international affairs division of the bureau. (source)

INDONESIA - HALAL - Government Supports the Halal Food Guarantee Bill to be Approved Soon

www.halalfocus.net - Jakarta, dpd.go.id - Still in order to gather views on the Halal Products Guarantee Bill, Committee III again held a Public Hearing (RDPU) on Wednesday (22/02/2012) with guest speaker from the State Islamic University (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta and the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. On this occasion, RDPU led by Vice-Chairman of Committee III, Moh. Syibli Sahabuddin. (source)

MALAYSIA - HALAL - Malaysian SMEs urged to get halal certification

www.btimes.com.my - KUALA LUMPUR: Local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including Muslim entrepreneurs, are urged to get halal certification to seize lucrative opportunities in the global halal sector.


Muslim SMEs should discard the assumption that their customers would believe their products are halal by virtue of being muslims.

Founder-director of the World Halal Forum (WHF) Jumaatun Azmi said there is still a significant gap in the implementation of halal standards by the local SMEs. (source)

INDONESIA - HALAL - MUI Criticizes NU’s Plan to Draft Halal Certification

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) has criticized Nahdlatul Ulama’s (NU) plan to draft halal and honesty certifications for its members.

Lukmanul Hakim, MUI’s food, drug and cosmetics study agency’s (LPPOM MUI) director, said it was unnecessary for NU to issue its own certifications because the LPPOM’s halal certificate was transparent and practical. However, he said, the certificate arrangement was subject to fees because the office is not subsidized by the government.  (source)