Chinese Muslims develop halal industry

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 11/08/2011 12:42 PM

Chinese Muslims have announced plans to develop halal industries to accommodate not just the needs of fellow Chinese Muslims in China but also Muslims in other countries.

“We have more than 10,000 factories, restaurants with halal-certified foods and beverages,” said Wang Shengjun, the Halal Food Commission chief of the Ningxia province, as quoted by antara.com.

Ningxia, a province that has gained autonomy since 1958, is well known for its Muslim Hui ethnicity, which is the dominant ethnicity among the 35 Chinese ethnic groups found in the province.

Wang said the province’s halal industry had a laboratory that used some of the most advanced technology in China, with 15 experts and 300 staffers. The halal product industry in Ningxia is currently worth up to 50 million RMB (Rp 70 billion).

Wang also said the local halal industry was working with other halal industries abroad.

“We have cooperated with halal industries in Saudi Arabia, Qatar,Egypt and Malaysia on a reciprocal basis,” he said.

He added that that the Chinese halal industry planned to cooperate with its Indonesian counterparts soon.

Rattan export ban will benefit local industry: Minister

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 11/08/2011 1:40 PM

Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan has assured that a regulation that will ban rattan exports will benefit all domestic stakeholders, especially local rattan farmers.

The ministerial regulation will ensure that rattan produced by farmers would be used by local craftsmen.

“I have discussed [the regulation] with the industry minister, the forestry minister and the governors of Central Kalimantan and West Sulawesi,” Gita said Monday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

He added that the regulation would also put an end to illegal rattan exports which harm the environment.

“We have promised to provide the rattan industry and craftsmen with training and development, not just in Java but also in Kalimantan and Sulawesi,” Gita said, pointing out that Kalimantan and Sulawesi were

Indonesia's main rattan production centers.

If everything goes according to the government plan, the ministry will ban rattan exports in December this year.