Melaka To Set Up MPIH To Streamline Halal Ecosystem - CM

MELAKA, Oct 18 (Bernama) -- Melaka will establish a State Halal Industry Development Council (MPIH Melaka) as its main coordinating body to comprehensively streamline all technical agencies and halal-related industries in the state.

Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh said this was to ensure an orderly and high-impact development of the state's halal industry.

He added that this is also a strategic move that is in tandem with the aspirations of the Federal-Level Halal Industry Development Council under the Halal Industry Master Plan 2030 (HIMP 2030), which stipulates that each state must have its own halal regulatory structure.

"This council will make Melaka the main coordinating centre, and even strengthen the position of the state, which is on the right track to emerge as a regional halal centre, thanks to its status as a 'Muslim Friendly Tourism State’.

"It will also expedite the entry of investors and the approval of halal certification, without troublesome bureaucracy,” he told reporters after officiating the launch of the Melaka International Halal Festival (MIHF) 2025 at the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC) in Ayer Keroh here today.

Also present were Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar and delegates from the Informal Meeting of the Ministers of Religion of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore (MABIMS).

Ab Rauf also said that the Melaka government is collaborating with a private company to carry out the development of Phase 2 of the Melaka Halal Hub on a 42-hectare piece of land as a continuation of Phase 1 of the Halal Hub in Serkam, Jasin, to attract the participation of domestic and international investors, with Phase 2 of the hub expected to be completed in 2027.

Meanwhile, he said that the state government has, through the Melaka International Halal Festival (MIHF 2025), opened its doors as wide as possible to domestic and international investors, manufacturers, distributors and researchers to participate, not just as observers but as strategic partners in developing a global halal ecosystem from Melaka.

He added that Melaka moved well ahead of many other states when it established the Melaka Halal Hub in 2000 as an empowerment platform for Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs, and has even emerged as the state most active in complying with halal standards in Malaysia, with 400 companies receiving halal certification from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) to date.

"The Melaka Halal Hub currently sits on an industrial area that houses 147 ready-built factory concept premises as well as three SME industrial areas with 147 business premises, making it one of the most organised halal clusters in Malaysia.

"We also offer two ownership routes to industry players, either building a factory directly on the industrial site or buying premises that have been completed to expedite operations without the burden of bureaucracy," he said.

In addition, he said that various support services are also provided, including complete rental premises, guidance courses and technical services, to speed up the process of obtaining halal certification more efficiently and cost-effectively.

-- BERNAMA