Ewon in a group photo with the participants.
Kota Kinabalu: The Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives provides various initiatives and halal entrepreneurship development programmes including halal certification, financial assistance and grants to help entrepreneurs throughout the country.
Its Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick said these include financial assistance of up to RM10,000 to cover the costs of complying with halal certification requirements, such as awareness courses and halal certification for company employees, consultation fees, product analysis services and certification fees.
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Ewon said the Ministry also provides financial assistance of up to RM30,000 to cover the costs of product brand development, prototype preparation and upgrading of packaging design and labelling for each entrepreneur’s product through the Halal Product Capacity Development Programme.
“The Halal Innovation and Technology Program is for entrepreneurs who already have halal certification and want to increase the output of halal products and services based on innovation and technology.
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“This programme provides financing grants to adapt halal innovation and technology to increase the productivity of halal products, covering aspects of technology transfer, machine purchase assistance, digitalisation, research development and product commercialisation,” he said.
He said this at the opening of the Sabah State Madani Entrepreneur Halal Awareness Workshop: Entrepreneur Halal Certification / Cottage Industry Halal Certification 2024, at Hotel Raia, here, recently.
Ewon also said that the Ministry provides grant assistance of up to RM200,000 to micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) entrepreneurs who comply with the set criteria.
He said that to help MSME entrepreneurs who are stable and Export Ready, the Ministry implements the Halal Entrepreneur Internationalisation Programme.
He said it aims to strengthen the Malaysian halal brand in the international market, provide access to Malaysian halal products and services and build business networks and marketing of Malaysian halal products and services on the international stage.
“The Ministry provides assistance through financing involving participation fees for MSME entrepreneurs in international expos and trade exhibitions and product registration abroad,” he said.
Regarding halal certification, Ewon said it is a quality assurance to consumers that the products or services provided by entrepreneurs and cooperatives are clean and safe to use, in addition to meeting the requirements of Islamic law.
“In the business aspect, entrepreneurs can expand the market network of products and services not only in Malaysia but also at the international level,” he said.
He added that Sabah has great potential in the halal industry based on raw material resources and semi-finished goods, as well as its strategic position and vast geography.
“In this regard, I see that the potential of the halal industry today is very wide and it would be a loss if we did not seize the opportunity in this industry.
“Halal is not only associated with the food and beverage industry alone; its scope is very wide, covering products and services involving healthcare and pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and tourism.
“The halal industry in Malaysia provides enormous opportunities, therefore SME operators in Sabah need to seize the opportunity to get involved in the halal industry in this country,” he said.
In this regard, he hopes that programs like this can inject enthusiasm into Sabah’s SME entrepreneurs to engage and bring their businesses to the halal industry on an international level.
The two-day program, which ended on Sunday, was attended by 168 participants, aiming to increase the capacity of entrepreneurs and cooperatives to produce competitive halal products and services and to increase the number of Sabah entrepreneurs obtaining halal certification.