‘M’sia to actively engage in halal diplomacy’

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia will actively engage in halal diplomacy to offer its expertise and vast know-how in the halal industry with the rest of the world, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the Investment, Trade and Industry and the Foreign Ministries had been tasked to promote Malaysia’s abilities in this area during their overseas missions, including visits by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“The world’s halal industry is expanding rapidly and since we have all the expertise and skills, we should make full use of this to promote Malaysia.

“It is time for us to actively venture into halal diplomacy and get countries to engage with us through halal platforms,” he said after chairing the Halal Industry Development Council meeting yesterday.

Explaining this further, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the meeting had agreed for a bigger push to be made not just on ensuring more halal exports from Malaysia and also to pursue the halal industry via diplomacy.

He said there was a keen interest in Malaysia’s expertise in the industry.

“During the Prime Minister’s recent visits to Vietnam and the Philippines, we have been asked to share Malaysia’s knowledge and technology about the halal industry,” he said.

He said Malaysia, which would participate in the World Halal Business Forum in the United Kingdom at the end of the month, would use the platform to engage in more halal diplomacy.

On another matter, Ahmad Zahid said the wait for halal certification to be approved would soon take only 23 working days under a new concept.