Halal industry among main pillars of global economic recovery

The halal industry is among the main sectors that are supporting global economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has said.

“I consider the halal industry sector, the health sector, the food and beverages sector, as well as the construction and agriculture sectors to be the main pillars of global economic recovery,” Amin remarked at the 2021 National Export Conference in Jakarta.

At the national level, efforts to recover the economy must be strengthened by providing job opportunities, most of which are currently in the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) sector, he advised.

Given the potential of the halal industry at the global level, all stakeholders and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia must nurture an export orientation to participate in the global market, he added.

“Economic recovery must be supported through the provision of employment. Currently, 97 percent of employment is supported by the MSME sector, it must be able to be developed into an export-oriented MSME sector,” Amin said.

The MSME sector has also become the sector that is contributing the most to national economic growth, the Vice President noted.

During the COVID-19 crisis, the MSME sector was the most affected sector in the economy, he said.

“However, we have learnt that a crisis must open up new opportunities and generate creative and innovative business ideas,” he added.

Therefore, the Vice President said he hopes to see a further increase in the synergy and collaboration between the business world and academia for preparing the younger generation to become export players, especially in the halal industry sector.

Synergy and collaboration between the business world and academia will give birth to new exporters from the millennial and Z generations to create new sources of economic growth, he said.

“In the current conditions, Indonesia desperately needs new sources of economic growth,” he remarked.

Source: Antara News