Key Takeaways
- Historic Regional Expansion: The inaugural World Halal Excellence Awards (WHEA) 2025 Borneo, co-hosted by HDC and MINTRED Sarawak in Kuching, marks the official decentralisation of Malaysia’s halal ecosystem beyond Peninsular Malaysia, positioning East Malaysia as a gateway to BIMP-EAGA trade.
- State Performance Recognition: Sarawak was awarded the Halal State Performance Excellence Award, anchored by its Sarawak Halal Industry Development Plan 2026–2030 and a growing base of over 1,100 active halal-certified entities across agriculture, manufacturing, and services.
- Multi-Sectoral Value Chain Expansion: The 12 award categories spanned traditional food and beverage, Islamic banking, subsea logistics, Muslim-friendly hospitality, and youth-led tech enterprises, demonstrating the breadth of Malaysia’s global halal leadership.
Decentralising Malaysia’s Halal Economy to the Borneo Corridor
Malaysia’s global leadership in the Islamic economy, reflected in its top spot in the State of the Global Islamic Economy (GIE) Report for 12 consecutive years, is undergoing a strategic geographic shift. By hosting the World Halal Excellence Awards (WHEA) 2025 Borneo alongside the inaugural Borneo International Halal Showcase (BIHAS) 2026 in Kuching, the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) and Halal Development Corporation Berhad (HDC) are leveraging East Malaysia to unlock regional growth across the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
The event highlighted Sarawak’s transition from a regional producer into a commercial gateway. Driven by progressive state policy, infrastructure investment, and cross-border trade agreements, Sarawak is integrating domestic entrepreneurs directly into global supply chains.
Roll of Honour: WHEA 2025 Borneo Winners
The 12 award recipients represent the diversity and maturity of Malaysia’s halal economy, ranging from multinational consumer brands and regional logistics providers to grassroots entrepreneurs:
Strategic Synergies Across the BIMP-EAGA Growth Zone
Sarawak’s recognition via the Halal State Performance Excellence Award reflects concrete progress on the ground. With the launch of the Sarawak Halal Industry Development Plan 2026–2030, the state is pairing local agricultural outputs with advanced food processing and logistics corridors.
Concurrently, the inaugural BIHAS 2026 conference secured seven international Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) valued at an estimated US$9 million, establishing initial trade ties with Singapore, Indonesia, and Pakistan. By connecting local SMEs, such as coffee producers, bakery brands, and logistics providers, to wider trade networks, East Malaysia is constructing a self-sustaining regional economy.
Source : Malaysian Business