KUALA LUMPUR: The Small and Medium Enterprises Association Malaysia (Samenta) has urged the Kelantan government to reconsider its decision to mandate halal certification for food and beverage (F&B) operators in the state.
Instead, the association calls for collaboration with F&B operators to promote halal certification and with the certification authority to further streamline and reduce the burden and costs of obtaining such certification.
This appeal follows the Kelantan government's announcement to begin enforcing mandatory halal certification in Kota Baru, with plans to expand the initiative across the state.
Samenta national president Datuk William Ng said that the halal certification should not be made mandatory as it adds an additional layer of burden and costs to businesses, especially to the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and small traders.
"Applying for halal certification could mean up to RM200,000 per premise if modifications to the premise is required, and up to another RM50,000 per annum if a halal coordinator is required on top of the training costs of new and existing employees," he said in a statement.
He added that the larger chain stores may be able to afford to follow these stringent regulations, especially given the benefits of being halal-certified.
However, Ng noted that for small traders, both Muslims and non-Muslims, the process and costs of having a halal certification was another layer of costs and burden, in an already high-cost and low-margin business environment.- Bernama
