Japanese Investors Can Contribute to Tanjung Manis Halal Hub Growth

KUCHING (Sarawak,Malaysia), July 4 (Bernama) -- Japanese investors can contribute to the Tanjung Manis Halal Hub development by setting up healthcare, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries there, Sarawak Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said Wednesday. The hub, located in the southern part of the Mukah Division in central Sarawak, was not solely for food processing and agro-based industries, he said. "The hub also welcomes other halal industries which can utilise the rich biodiversity resources in Sarawak for their raw materials," he said when closing a one-day seminar on investments and business opportunities in Tanjung Manis Halal Hub in Tokyo on Tuesday. The text of his speech was issued by the Sarawak Information Department here. The seminar, attended by over 150 Japanese businessmen, was opened by Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud. Awang Tengah said Sarawak was looking forward to Japanese investors to invest at the hub which has been accorded the "HALMAS" accreditation by Malaysia's Halal Industry Development Corporation. HALMAS is an accreditation given to the Halal Park operators who have successfully complied with the requirements and guidelines stipulated under the Halal Industry Development Corporation. Awang Tengah said Malaysia adopted stringent benchmarking methodology against international best practices in developing its own halal standards. "This methodology has been provided to other countries as part of our duties to spearhead development and promotion of halal products and hence, contributing towards the growth of halal industries in the world market," he said. Despite the current sluggish economic scenario, he said, the interest in the global halal industry was strong enough to overcome challenges. "This confirmed that the halal industry had great untapped potential, but it needs a strong concerted effort and collaboration to ensure the success of the business network," he added. -- BERNAMA