Malaysia set to be halal hub for NZ products
The Deputy Prime Minister said this comes after two organisations in New Zealand, which have obtained recognition from the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), expressed interest in using Malaysia as a springboard to widen their export market.
'I have given them the opportunity to use Malaysia as a hub for the distribution of halal products from New Zealand to Asean nations,' he said after attending the Malaysia-New Zealand Halal Forum here yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid said he had also proposed to halal industry players from New Zealand to attend the Malaysia International Halal Showcase 2025, which will be held in September in Kuala Lumpur.
'An announcement will be made during the event on joint efforts to set up the Asean Halal Council, comprising representation from Asean and Asean Plus.
'We invited the bodies that have obtained Jakim recognition to be part of the council,' he added.
Ahmad Zahid said the goal of the council is to standardise halal certification among Asean nations as well as those in the surrounding region.
'This will be brought up as an agenda during the Asean Summit this October,' he added.
Ahmad Zahid also said there is talk among several countries under the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to reactivate the dormant World Halal Council to include both Muslim and non-Muslim majority nations involved in halal products.
He said this is crucial as the global halal market is expected to grow from the current US$1.3 trillion (RM5.5 trillion) annually to US$3.7 trillion (RM14.3 trillion) in 2030.
'The market is expected to grow to US$5 trillion (RM21.2 trillion) by 2050.
'Malaysia intends to tap 5% of this market,' he added.
During the forum earlier, New Zealand's Biosecurity and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard said Malaysia is a significant market for premium halal meat products, with exports of more than NZ$60mil (RM151mil).
'Malaysia is facilitating the approval of several New Zealand halal meat premises seeking first-time access to this market, which is crucial to growing exports,' he said.
Earlier, Ahmad Zahid and Hoggard witnessed the exchange of letters of intent between Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the University of Canterbury.
The partnership aims to strengthen academic and research collaboration, including student and staff mobility.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Barnama
7 hours ago
- Barnama
MOTAC To Host International Workshop On Melaka Declaration On Cultural Heritage Value Creation
GENERAL MELAKA, July 20 (Bernama) -- The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (MOTAC) will host an International Workshop on the Melaka Declaration on Cultural Heritage Value Creation from July 23 to 24 at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) World Heritage City of Melaka. The ministry's Corporate Communication Unit said the two-day workshop will be jointly organised with the ASEAN Secretariat and strategic partners, Think City and Telekom Malaysia Berhad. 'The workshop is a step forward in harnessing the untapped power of Southeast Asia's rich cultural heritage as a catalyst for sustainable economic growth, social cohesion and creative innovation. 'This international gathering will bring together over 100 distinguished participants including cultural experts, academics, creative economy leaders, representatives from ASEAN Member States, SOMCA (Senior Officials' Meeting on Culture and Arts) and stakeholders to explore transformative approaches in heritage conservation and value creation,' the ministry said in a statement tonight, adding that panel discussions, breakout dialogues and plenary sessions would be held throughout the workshop. Discussions on maximising the socio-economic potential of ASEAN's cultural heritage by elevating its value chain for economic growth, strengthening regional cooperation through whole-of-ASEAN frameworks and cross-pillar collaboration will also be held during the workshop. The event is expected to promote public awareness and community engagement in heritage preservation, and integrate culture and heritage into sustainable development policies to ensure inclusive growth and social cohesion. 'The Melaka Declaration, as the main outcome of the workshop, will contribute to the development of a significant ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) outcome document, targeted to be adopted at the 47th ASEAN Summit in October 2025 in Kuala Lumpur. 'It aims to strengthen cultural cooperation, expand inclusive economic opportunities and promote a deeper appreciation of ASEAN's shared heritage,' the ministry added. — BERNAMA
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Parliamentarians are key to peace and stability in this region, says Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly
PHNOM PENH (Bernama): Parliamentarians across South-East Asia must take on a more active role in promoting diplomacy and stability amid rising geopolitical tensions. This was the key message from top speakers at the 16th Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Caucus held in Phnom Penh, who stressed that the role of lawmakers is more crucial than ever. Asean Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn also called on parliamentarians to champion peace and regional stability. He said that in the interconnected yet fragmented world, sustainable peace is not merely the absence of war or conflict, but the presence of justice, understanding, and inclusivity. "In an era marked by geopolitical tensions and proliferation of divisive narratives, the role of parliamentarians as bridge builders and peace makers has become more crucial today than before,' Kao said in his keynote remarks. The heads of AIPA from Asean member states and Timor-Leste are participating in the two-day event, which is being held at the National Assembly hall in the capital. "This caucus serves as a beacon of hope, demonstrating true structure of dialogue, mutual respect, and sheer commitment to peaceful resolution. We can address the most complex challenges facing the region or the world,' said Kao. The theme of the meeting is 'Peace Through Dialogue: The Parliamentary Path Forward' - emphasising the role of parliamentary diplomacy in achieving peace and prosperity. Speaking at the event, Cambodia's National Assembly President Khuon Sudary said Cambodia remains fully committed to supporting Asean unity and centrality. "The roles of parliamentary diplomacy are increasingly critical in promoting regional and global peace efforts. By promoting dialogue, confidence-building measures, preventive diplomacy, and the peaceful settlement of disputes, we can contribute more to world peace. "AIPA, together with observer parliaments, needs to be more proactive and bolder in promoting parliamentary diplomacy and cooperation to shore up regional and global governance while promoting a rules-based international order,' said Sudary. - Bernama
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Ringgit closes slightly lower against greenback
SPI Asset Management's Innes said the ringgit is under pressure mainly because of concerns the US Federal Reserve might keep interest rates higher for longer. KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit slipped 0.01% against the US dollar at the close, as the local note continued trading on the defensive yesterday, which offered some technical comfort for the ringgit. At 6pm, the local note was traded at 4.2400/2490 from 4.2395/2440 at Wednesday's close. SPI Asset Management managing partner Stephen Innes said the ringgit is under pressure mainly because of concerns that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) might keep interest rates higher for longer, as markets reassess the inflation outlook. He added that the US dollar has strengthened recently as investors are becoming less certain that the Fed will cut rates in September. Innes also said that the dollar's recent bid reflected a subtle but growing shift in sentiment, which markets are slowly walking back their conviction that the Fed will cut the interest rate in September. 'Sticky core inflation, fuelled in part by service-sector dynamics and the slow-burn impact of tariffs, is keeping the Fed in a wait-and-see mode. 'The ringgit remains vulnerable to a temporary widening in the US-Malaysia exchange rate spread. 'This does not necessarily break the broader 4.20-4.30 range, and we are still inside expected bands for now, but it does create a bias for further weakness,' he added. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said that the ringgit weakened against the US dollar in the early morning session to 4.2575 in response to the US Consumer Price Index (CPI), which continued to increase in June to 2.7% from 2.4% previously. 'The latest CPI print appears to give the impression that the Fed may not be inclined to cut the Fed Fund Rate in the upcoming meeting in July. 'In a nutshell, the ringgit maintained its narrow-range trade in light of the ongoing uncertainties over the US tariffs,' Mohd Afzanizam said.
