The Iskandar Malaysia Halal Partnership Dialogue 2020 jointly organised by the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), the Halal Development Corporation Berhad (HDC) and the Johor State Economic Division Planning reiterated the importance of efficient government-private sector cooperation to drive the halal ecosystem in the region.
According to Chief Executive of IRDA, Datuk Ismail Ibrahim, “Drawing on its strategic location at the heart of ASEAN, with over 600 million population market, and neighbouring to Singapore, as an international gateway, Iskandar Malaysia is a strategic location for both domestic and international investors in the halal business.”
Attended by more than 70 government and private sector officials and members, the dialogue reached a range of conclusions that could further improve the halal ecosystem in the area of Iskandar Malaysia, including more effective and seamless cooperation between halal players; enhanced marketing and promotional activities; use of data and digital platforms to coordinate supply and demand.
HDC announced earlier this month that the domestic halal product market is worth US$70 billion and is projected to cross US$150 billion by 2030.
The Iskandar Malaysia Investment Service Centre, a one stop centre that helps to organise and accelerate investment-related processes such as land and manpower requirements, will already support investors who want to transfer or start their business in Iskandar Malaysia.
The state of Johor has already developed the Majlis Halal Johor, specifically for the halal ecosystem. In addition, Iskandar Malaysia is also home to Iskandar Halal Park, which provides SMEs with a favourable environment to develop and manufacture their goods in an industrial park accredited to Halal Malaysia (HALMAS) that will cater to the ever-growing Halal sector both domestically and domestically.
