“All related ministers – the religious affairs minister, health minister, industry minister, trade minister coordinating economic minister and coordinating human development and culture minister – have signed the draft,” Halal Products Assurance Management Body (BPJPH) head Sukoso said on Wednesday.

He added that the draft had been delivered to the State Palace.

“The draft is just waiting for the President’s approval,” Sukoso said as quoted by kontan.co.id.

He added that the ministers had resolved any differences they had related to the draft. Health Minister Nila Farid Moeloek, for example, had rejected the inclusion of drugs in the list of halal products but later changed her stance.

In the transitional periods before producers are fully required to start the certification process, Sukoso said the religious affairs minister would issue a supporting regulation to further rule the matter.

As an example, for food products, the transitional period was suggested to be between three and five years, while for the drug sector, it was between five and seven years.

“The point is that the government will give industries time to prepare themselves,” Sukoso said.

To obtain a halal certification, producers must submit a request and required documents to the BPJPH for verification and an audit before the documents are sent to the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for a halal declaration.

The documents are sent back to the BPJPH to be given a certificate, logo and a registration number. (bbn)

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