Microsoft to power halal industry ICT system

Halal Industry Development Corp Sdn Bhd (HDC) and Microsoft (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an ICT (information and communications technology) system for the halal industry.

The system, to be called the Malaysian International Halal Hub Open XML System, will be based on the Open XML document standard, according to Microsoft Malaysia general manager Yasmin Mahmood.

It is expected to have three components, a halal product exchange centre for the global halal trade; a halal research knowledge centre to serve as a repository of information on the market for halal foods, products and services; and a centralised web-based system for remote halal certification. The remote halal certification component would also include an e-learning portal to serve as an educational and training resource for the system's users.

HDC and Microsoft will start with a pilot project in Malaysia, according to officials of both companies.

As the concept is proven successful here, it will be expanded abroad, particularly to member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC).

No budget or schedule has been decided for the project as yet, Yasmin said. A project team of officials from Microsoft and HDC are defining the scope of the project and method of implementation before deciding on these matters, she said.

However, Yasmin said, Microsoft is keen to get the Halal Hub project going as soon as is practical.

"We'll be able to announce a timeframe for the project in about two months," she said.

Yasmin said the project is part of her plan of making Microsoft relevant to Malaysia.

HDC chairman Tan Seri Syed Jalaludin Syed Salim said his company wants to help provide the backbone to help the worldwide halal industry get a bit more organised.

"We went with Microsoft as a partner for this project because it is the largest software company in the world and it has the resources to help make the project a success," he said.

The system will build on the halal certification process used in Malaysia because it is respected by Muslims around the world, said Syed Jalaludin.

First Halal Products Academy

First Halal Products Academy
The Brunei government, which is in the midst of establishing a Halal Products Academy soon, hoped for it to guide the country in developing the halal industry.

The academy is likely to be the first of its kind that will facilitate and promote collaboration between Syariah scholars and specialists in halal science and research to make the country a step ahead from its other regional peers.

Deputy Industry and Primary Resources Minister Datuk Paduka Hamdillah Abdul Wahab said the academy would be an institution and a platform for ulama, scientists and industry specialists to guide the development of halal market in tackling some of the complex issues that have arisen and others arising in the future.

"Halal is relatively simple, but industry, and in particular the food industry, has become increasingly complex, and it has become progressively clearer that a new kind of discourse is needed to ensure that industrial producers remain within the parameters of Syariah compliance," he said in his keynote address at the International Halal Market Conference 2008 here Saturday.

Hamdillah said the ongoing maturation and sophistication of the halal industry has brought new questions for the country's Islamic scholars that required a new level of collaboration and understanding with the help of scientific community and industry specialists.

The two-day conference involved about 300 participants comprising government officials and representatives from the private sector locally and abroad.

It was held in conjunction with the Third International Halal Products Expo 2008 which was co-organised by three Brunei ministries -- Industry and Primary Resources, Religious Affairs and Health Ministry.

The four-day expo, which kicked off Thursday at the International Convention Centre in Berakas, showcased a wide range of halal products and services from 180 local and foreign companies from 14 countries.

Hamdillah said the the Brunei Halal brand, which was officially launched by the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, would provide a platform to develop local products and contribute to the diversifying of the country's social economy.

In addition, the usage of information and communication technology (ICT) was crucial as the global scope of the halal market made the intelligent use of software, the Internet and cutting-edge communications technologies an intrinsic and pivotal element of the halal market, he said.

Hamdillah said public and private partnerships was important to ensure that programmes which have been lined up by the government were successfully implemented.

With a population of 390,000 people, the country was poised to become the centre of excellence in the Brunei halal brand, standard certification, scientific research and ICT applications in five years' time, he said.