Terengganu was among the first five states to establish the Terengganu Halal Council (MHT) as a step to strengthen the sector towards progressive and sustainable development.
Chairman of the state Entrepreneurship, Human Resources and Consumer Affairs Committee, Dato’ Ariffin Deraman said that the MHT, chaired by the Menteri Besar of Terengganu, Dato Seri Ir. Dr. Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, is now only awaiting official approval from the Exco Meeting.
According to him, the MHT is capable of acting as an agent in launching any governance and halal certification process for products and industries in the state.
“MHT has actually been established and has even held several meetings and has its own strategic plan.
“However, several matters still require approval from the Exco Meeting and the Menteri Besar before they can be fully finalized officially,” he said.
He said this at a press conference after the Closing Ceremony of the Terengganu State Halal Awareness Program 2025 and the ceremony for the presentation of the financing offer letter from the Terengganu Sejahtera Entrepreneur Fund (TUGAS) to borrowers for the 2nd time/2025 at the YPU Multipurpose Hall, here yesterday.
According to Ariffin, MHT will help strengthen the coordination of Malaysia’s Halal certification together with JAKIM and JHEAT as the main authoritative body in state halal management, including becoming a reference center, recognition, rating and advisory services related to halal certification.
“The responsibility to increase the number of halal entrepreneurs will be strengthened through the Terengganu Halal Council. The Entrepreneur Development Foundation will also become a one-stop center for halal reference centers in Terengganu
“The state government also welcomes all industries to obtain halal certificates to ensure that the community receives guaranteed services or products,” he added.
In addition, the state government is also planning the construction of a more planned Halal Hub or Halal Park to support the development of the industry.
“Currently, we already have a small-scale halal area behind the Sultan Zainal Abidin University (UniSZA) which houses 24 shophouses, in addition to the area in Chendering. However, both need improvement,” he said.
According to him, the state government is identifying several new locations including in the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) area of the railway station to be developed as a Halal Hub.
“The identified land will be handed over to the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development (KUSKOP) for development and halal certification purposes,” he said.
