Negeri Sembilan has responded positively to the Government’s call to make Malaysia a viable and leading Halal industry centre by setting up a one-stop solution to all Halal food producers. MIEL, an established industrial accommodation provider and an implementing agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, together with the state Government are offering a 55-acre freehold Halal industrial park in Pedas.
The Pedas Halal Industrial Park offers a designated area for manufacturing of Halal products free from contamination of other industries.
It is an integrated industrial development with emphasis on centralized administrative and control facilities for Halal accreditation.
The plant, and the entire park at large, is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2006.
MIEL chief executive officer Azmi Thamby Chik said MIEL will develop other supporting components such as ready built factories and shop lots for suppliers and vendors of RFP.
Azmi said companies or entrepreneurs had to be more focused and goal oriented as the Halal industry was on its way to being a very competitive business.
“One of the first companies jump on the bandwagon is Ramly Food Processing Sdn Bhd (RFP), a company that produces meat based products.
RFP has acquired 12.7 acres of land to set up a processing plant complete with poultry slaughtering facility, cold room and a waste treatment plant.
“We want to offer businesses a one-stop-centre solution where they can find everything under one roof from processing to packaging to marketing and certification,” he said, adding that the park would be an exclusive trading area for the Halal food industry.
Another advantage of the park, said Azmi, is the strategic location at the Pedas/Linggi Interchange of the North South Highway. It is easily accessible to and from major destinations such as the Kuala Lumpur City Cntre, Port Klang, the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Port of Tanjung Pelepas.
Within the area are established and newly developed residential areas as a steady source of workforce.
To ensure the participants of the park can fully explore the vast potential of the Halal product market, the Pedas Halal Industrial Park will have a development administrative complex hosting the relevant bodies such as the Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM), MARDI, Ministry of Agriculture and Agrobased Industry and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
Other agencies to facilitate Halal accreditation as well as to provide advice and consultation to the businesses will also be present.
There will be a common logistics and cold room facilities, centralised wholesale centre, Halal products hyper mart and incubator production space for small enterprises.
The park will have ready built factories with features to facilitate implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.
Shop houses to accommodate Halal related commercial activities have also been planned as well as industrial lots for anchor industrialists. Be rest assured there will be ample electricity and water supply with state-of-the-art telecommunication facilities.
The area is ready for construction with earthwork already completed together with availability of internal infrastructure such as roads, drainage, sewerage and water tank.
The park can accommodate 135 buildings on the existing plots which have been sub-divided with individual land titles: land plots, semi-detached factories, terrace factories and shop offices.
Suitable industries and activities identified for the Pedas Halal Industrial Park are:
- soft drinks and fruit juices
- confectionary products like biscuits and chocolate
- bakery products like bread, bun and cakes
- frozen food processing
- poultry, meat and seafood processing
- snacks manufacturing like potato and tapioca crisps
- manufacturing sauces.
MIEL has also identified commercial activities for the park which includes Islamic banking and finance, and research and development activities in accordance to the Syariah law.
However, those who want to join the park have to adhere to the condition that they have been accredited with Halal standard. Those yet to be accredited will be given stipulated time to meet the standard.
The Negeri Sembilan state Government has set up the Halal Products Development and Coordination Committee whose role is to identify Halal products with development potential.
It will also resolve technical problems and act as a one-stop coordinating body for Halal certification.
**This article was first published in The Halal Journal Pilot Issue (August 2004).
