Kota Kinabalu: More than 200 delegates from 14 countries are participating in the two-day International Halal Symposium
(pic) at the Magellan Hotel here, Tuesday.
The programme, organised by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), was officiated by the Yang Di Pertua (YDP) of the Islamic Religious Council of Sabah (Muis), Datuk Yahya Hussin.
Themed “Empowering Halal Science and Technology-Innovation, Challenges and Opportunities”, it was also attended by the Chief Executive Officer of Muis, Ramlan Awang Ali and UMS Assistant Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr Chm Ts Coswald Stephen Sipaut @ Mohd Nasri.
Yahya said the halal certificate from Malaysia is recognised worldwide because it not only fulfils aspects of Islamic interests but also adheres to the Muslim beliefs.
In fact, he said, Malaysia became the first country to implement halal certification because it was aware of the need and other countries in the world followed suit.
“Our halal certificate is recognised worldwide because it includes aspects of Halal Toyyibah.
“Our halal certificate is in high demand from all players in the industry, especially food and beverage entrepreneurs, to the point that we need to further strengthen this service.
“Therefore, the organisation of programmes such as the International Halal Symposium should continue from time to time to meet the needs of halal industry players around the world,” he said.
Yahya said Muis also plays a significant role in empowering halal certification services through the Muis Halal Hub in Sabah.
According to him, various initiatives are implemented by the religious body, especially to increase the involvement of micro-entrepreneurs to obtain halal certificates in Sabah.
“This is one of our initiatives to help entrepreneurs in Sabah because the halal certificate plays an important role in further developing their business,” he said.
The Halal Industry Empowerment Letter of Intent (LoI) Signing Ceremony was held between UMS and Islamic University, Malang Regency, Indonesia and Universitas Prawijaya Indonesia at the programme.
