Merchant Association Urges Govt to Reconsider Priority Scale for Halal Certification

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Chairman of the Indonesian People's Market Association or Aparsi, Suhendro said he objected to the government's sanctions against entrepreneurs who do not fulfill halal certification pass the October 17 deadline this year. “The government can collaborate with associations of merchants or business actors, so they can carry out the process (to gain a halal certificate) quickly,” said Hendro when contacted on Sunday, May 12, 2024.

He did not deny that this regulation had a good aim, namely ensuring food safety for consumers. However, Hendro believes the government needs more time to educate more merchants about the policy, especially MSMEs. 

According to him, the government needs to pay concern to the conditions on the ground. The government, said Hendro, should create a priority scale in implementing the regulation. For example, the government could prioritize the halal certification deadline for stable businesses or businesses that have been running for over 5 years.  

"That could be the priority scale, gradually up to October. So it's not suddenly implemented for all business actors, especially MSMEs, and market merchants," he said.

Suhendro hopes that the government will make it easier for business actors, especially those selling in people's markets and MSMEs not to be charged an application fee for the halal certification. 

Meanwhile, the Main Director of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Study Institute of the Indonesian Ulema Council (LPPOM MUI), Muti Arinta Wati, said that her side had provided free halal certification facilities to 125 business actors, especially SMEs in the food and beverage sector.

"This year, we are providing free certification for 744 micro and small businesses across Indonesia," said Muti Arinta Wati.

Head of the Halal Registration and Certification Center for the Halal Product Guarantee Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Siti Aminah, said that her side is also working on providing sanctions for business actors who have yet to apply for halal certification.

 "(The sanction is) in accordance with Government Regulation Number 39 of 2021 and Law No. 6 of 2023. At present, we are preparing changes related to the stages of halal certification duties," she said in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. The sanctions, Siti Aminah said, include a warning from the relevant agency and, if the warning is ignored, barring the products from circulating in the market. 

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