WELCOME REMARKS BY : HAIROL ARIFFEIN SAHARI,
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, HALAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (HDC)
MALAYSIA AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF HALAL CLUSTER WEEK
WORLD EXPO 2020 DUBAI | MALAYSIA PAVILLION
15th NOVEMBER 2021
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.
SALUTATIONS
1. The Honourable Dato’ Sri Norazman Ayob, Deputy Secretary General
Ministry Of International Trade & Industry (MITI) Malaysia
2. Madam Sharimahton Mat Saleh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia
External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE)
3. Mr Ahmad Khairuddin Bin Abdul Rahim, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia
Investment Development Authority (MIDA)
4. Distinguished guests
5. Members of the Media
6. Ladies and Gentlemen
Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Ta’ala Wabarakatuh and a very warm welcome to all of you.
1. Alhamdulillah, all praise be to Allah s.w.t., by whose grace and blessings we are able to gather here today. My warmest appreciation to the Honourable Dato’ Sri
Norazman Ayob, Deputy Secretary General Ministry Of International Trade & Industry (MITI) Malaysia for his presence here to address all of us at this Official Ceremony of the Halal Cluster Week in conjunction with the World Expo 2020 Dubai.
2. This official ceremony marks the commencement of Halal Cluster Week today, 15 November until 20 November 2021. This 6-day program is hosted by MITI as the leading Ministry and organised by Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) with the aims to promote the branding of Halal Malaysia, to increase Malaysia’s Halal exports, explore new and bigger market opportunities, and attract up to USD80 million in potential trade and investment.
3. With Covid-19 inflicting catastrophe on both the social and economic fronts, the theme “Together We Shape A Sustainable Halal Ecosystem” at this Halal Cluster Week could not have been more fitting and timely to tap on the biggest convergence of business participants ever after the post pandemic recovery period with the participation of 192 countries at the World Expo 2020 Dubai.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
4. It is heartening to note that investor confidence in Malaysia remains high with partaking of Malaysia delegations representing the Government Ministry and agencies as well as Malaysia companies from various sectors at the World Expo. HDC as been tasked with the promotion of the Halal industry with the aims of increasing potential Halal business to the world and importantly making Malaysia as the is most preferred location for doing Halal businesses.
5. I am proud to share that HDC has made significant progress in terms of increasing Halal awareness and its business potential with comprehensive and appealing Halal industry integrated ecosystem that is vibrant and globally respected. Today, the Halal industry has become an integral part of the Malaysian economy. Halal is now an entire ecosystem of interactive communities made up of various types of
industry stakeholders, along with physical environments.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
6. The Halal Cluster Week will present and showcase Halal business opportunities from knowledge sharing. HDC’s Halal Training Institute in collaboration with Chartered Institute Logistics and Transport (CILT) International will conduct Halal logistics training and emphasize on the effectiveness features that would benefit businesses throughout the Halal Supply Chain & Logistics industry. At the same time, we would like to stimulate global interest and further increase numbers of players in the Halal logistics sector.
7. To increase awareness on HDC products and services to the Middle East and global market, we have put together at this platform; the Halal through Digitalization to unlock the opportunities during this Halal Cluster Week with special emphasis on the HDC’s Digital Augmented Reality Showcase (DASH), Halal Knowledge Center (HKC) and recently launched the Halal Integrated Platform (HIP), the Trusted Halal Business platform for public-private cooperation.
8. We have also programs in collaboration with our strategic partners, i.e. the Potential for Halal corridor in Middle East / Asia Corridor in collaboration with Standard Chartered Bank that are expected to benefit both Malaysian companies expanding overseas and foreign companies planning to set up in Malaysia’s designated Halal Parks. This will eventually make Malaysia as a premier gateway to the Middle East Halal market.
9. HDC in collaboration with African Institute Of Islamic Finance (AIIF) will also share insights on the Halal Opportunities In Senegal And ECOWAS Countries & HDC Intervention In Facilitating The Growth to the global market. In view of Halal industry has the capacity to not only contribute to better the economy, but it is also in a position to provide a more meaningful recovery to each and every one of its stakeholders via further training, developments and collaborations,
10. On that note, I am certain that the Halal Cluster Week will reach its goals in achieving more Halal businesses and encourage global Halal Industry stakeholders to engage with HDC towards robust growth of the Halal industry to tap on the USD3.1 trillion.
Ladies and gentlemen,
11. With everyone’s commitment and assistance, I have every confidence that the Malaysian Halal ecosystem will be able to assist us in preventing a more protracted economic downturn post-pandemic, ensuring the safety and health of everyone during these recovery times, and that the Malaysian Halal sector will continue to register more growth, consistently, within the next coming years.
12. Once again, on behalf of HDC, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the participants at the Halal Cluster Week, as part of the World Expo Dubai. My utmost appreciation to MITI, MATRADE, MIDA, CILT International, Standard Chartered Saadiq, AIIF, MGTC for the strong support and commitment given to HDC.
13. May He continue to protect each and every one of us and may He assist us in executing the strategies we have laid out, and may He make it easy for us to achieve our aims and objectives, insya Allah. Ameen ya Rabbal Alamin.
Thank you.
Wabillahitaufik Walhidayah Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh