(FEB NEWS) Seeing the halal industry in Indonesia that continues to develop from time to time, the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Airlangga (FEB UNAIR) does not want to be left behind in taking part in this development and growth. On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, FEB UNAIR in collaboration with the UNAIR HALAL CENTER and the Halal Product Guarantee Agency of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (BPJPH) held a seminar discussing research in the halal field with the main theme "Exposure of Research/Innovation of Alternative Halal Products and Raw Materials: Strengthening the Indonesian Halal Industry Towards a Halal Producer Center in 2024". This seminar was attended by the Minister of Industry of the Republic of Indonesia represented by the Expert Staff of the Minister of Industry for Business Climate and Investment of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Andi Rizaldi. The Rector Universitas Airlangga represented by the Vice Rector for Research, Innovation and Community Development Universitas Airlangga, Prof. Dr. Ni Nyoman Tri Puspaningsih M.Si, Head of the Halal Product Guarantee Agency (BPJPH), Dr. Muhammad Aqil Irham, M.Sc, Head of the Halal Registration and Certification Center of the Halal Product Guarantee Agency of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. H. Mastuki, M.Ag., Head of the Halal Center Universitas Airlangga, Dean and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Universitas Airlangga were also present at the venue. In addition, the seminar was also attended by the Coordinator of the Cooperation Sector of the BPJPH Halal Cooperation and Standardization Center, Mrs. Fertiana Santy, Ph.D, Head of the Department of Sharia Economics FEB UNAIR, Dr. Sri Herianingrum, SE, M.Si., Vice Dean of the Faculty of Animal Husbandry, Gadjah Mada University, Head of the Halal Center Institute of UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, and several other invited guests.
The One Day Seminar was held in a hybrid format, taking place in the Fadjar Notonagoro Hall, Faculty of Economics and Business, Airlangga University, and via Zoom Meeting. Hosted by the MCs, Ratu Shalsabila Arifin and Muhammad Ichsanul Aulia, students of Islamic Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, Airlangga University, the seminar officially began at 9:00 a.m. Western Indonesian Time. After singing the national anthem "Indonesia Raya," the Hymn to Airlangga, and reciting prayers, the keynote speech and speeches were delivered.
Mr. Andi Rizaldi, expert staff of the Minister of Industry for Business Climate and Investment of the Republic of Indonesia, in his keynote speech said that one of the visions of the 2045 Indonesian Development Pillar is the improvement of science and technology (IPTEK) and the government has issued regulations to support the vision of this pillar.
He also stated that Indonesia ranks seventh in the world for the most publications, with 14,090 publications. Data shows that Indonesia still lags behind other countries in the world in terms of research and publications. Furthermore, the main problem with halal products in Indonesia is the continued import of raw materials and auxiliary materials. Therefore, Indonesia's current challenge in the halal sector is finding local substitutes for imported raw materials. To achieve this, research and innovation are essential. The Innovation Portal, organized by the BPJPH, serves as a hub for all research and innovation, accelerating the search for solutions to existing halal product challenges.
Then, the remarks were delivered by the Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, and Community Development Universitas Airlangga, Prof. Dr. Ni Nyoman Tri Puspaningsih, M.Si. In her remarks, she mentioned that in supporting the development of halal products, Universitas Airlangga has a Halal Center. Furthermore, continuing from Mr. Andi Rizaldi's discussion regarding raw materials, Universitas Airlangga has produced halal capsule products made from halal seaweed substances. This can support the independence of halal raw materials and Indonesian medicines. And if Indonesia has achieved independence in halal raw materials, it will be able to export to the world's Muslim population. Therefore, halal research is needed so that the public gets as much information as possible.
The second speech was delivered by the Chairman of the Halal Product Guarantee Agency (BPJPH) of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. Muhammad Aqil Irham, M.Sc. He mentioned that halal has now become a global trend that has become a concern for several countries. There are 35 countries collaborating with BPJPH, mostly consisting of Latin American and European countries. For foreign countries, the very high spending of their population on halal products makes them tempted to participate. However, this has caused the term halal to shift to be associated with industry, market growth, and the economy, so that it has become attractive to the global market. According to him, the role of universities is very strategic in developing science and technology, especially in halal product assurance. Finally, he also agreed with the statements of Mr. Andi Rizaldi and Prof. Dr. Ni Nyoman Tri Puspaningsih, M.Sc. regarding Indonesia's challenges regarding imported raw materials and the need for research and innovation to solve this problem. His remarks concluded with the Halal Innovation Portal Launching procession.
Then the event continued with the Signing of the Halal Product Guarantee Cooperation Agreement between the Halal Product Guarantee Organizing Agency (BPJPH) of the Republic of Indonesia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Airlangga. The Halal Product Guarantee Cooperation Agreement was signed by Dr. Muhammad Aqil Irham, M.Sc as the Head of the Halal Product Guarantee Organizing Agency (BPJPH) who was accompanied by the Head of the Halal Registration and Certification Center of the Halal Product Guarantee Organizing Agency of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia - Dr. H. Mastuki, M.Ag. and Prof. Dr. Dian Agustia, SE., MSi., Ak. CMA. CA. as the Dean of FEB UNAIR accompanied by the Head of the Department of Sharia Economics FEB UNAIR. The collaboration includes MBKM (Independent Learning, Independent Campus) and several points regarding the Tri Dharma of Higher Education.
(Signing of the Halal Product Assurance Cooperation Agreement by Dr. Muhammad Aqil Irham, M.Sc – Head of the Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency (BPJPH) and Prof. Dr. Dian Agustia, SE., MSi., Ak. CMA. CA. as Dean of FEB UNAIR.)
After the welcome speech, launching, and signing of the cooperation agreement, the event continued with a talk show with the theme "Alternative Raw Materials in the Halal Industry" moderated by Mr. Sulistya Rusgianto, Ph.D. along with the main speakers Prof. Ir. Yuny Erwanto, S.Pt., MP., PhD, IPM (Institute for Halal Industry & System) - Vice Dean of the Faculty of Animal Husbandry, Gadjah Mada University, Dr. Agung Sosiawan, drg., M.Kes. - Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Airlangga, Dr. Begum Fauziyah - Chair of the Halal Center Institute, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang.
Prof. Ir. Yuny Erwanto, S.Pt., MP., PhD, in her presentation explained the use of collagen in Indonesia, where consumption is very high and not limited to one specific field. One such area is cosmetics, which is currently trending among women. Collagen itself can be made from cows, fish, or pigs, but the most widely used ingredient as a collagen base is pork. This is because pork is the most widely slaughtered animal in European and Chinese countries.
Indonesia itself imports 100% of its collagen and gelatin consumption from abroad. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, a company produces collagen from fish. However, the source of the raw material (fish) is sourced from Indonesia due to limited resources in Malaysia. This demonstrates that Indonesia has the potential to develop its own resources, but has not received government support.
Then the second speaker, Dr. Agung Sosiawan, drg., M.Kes., discussed the relationship between dentistry and halal certification. He stated that most dental materials are imported, as stated by Mr. Andi Rizaldi in his keynote speech. However, in a forensic context, the relevance is to ensure that their use by the wider community does not contain haram ingredients and is related to regulations and policies. Therefore, it is crucial for us to conduct investigations into whether or not there is intentional mixing of halal and non-halal ingredients, especially in food products. One method used is PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) because it is the most powerful method for DNA amplification.
And the final speaker, Dr. Begum Fauziyah, discussed her research in the pharmaceutical field. There are three provisions for pharmaceutical product ingredients: those derived from animals, plants, and microbes, which can be developed by still referring to these ingredients. Pharmaceuticals themselves are almost 95% imported from abroad, as explained by Mr. Andi Rizaldi previously, with 60% from China and 30% from India. And these two countries are not Muslim countries. Therefore, she conducted research related to substantial materials that can be used in the pharmaceutical field. One of them is cellulose which can be produced from bagasse. She also saw that Indonesia has the potential to produce cellulose from bagasse, because Indonesia is among the 10 largest sugarcane producing countries and has a high bagasse waste. This creates an opportunity for Indonesia to become a country producing halal cellulose.
After the Talkshow 1 session closed with a question and answer session, the event continued with Talkshow 2 with the theme “…”. Talkshow 2 was moderated by Dr. Mochammad Soleh SE, M.EI. along with two speakers Dr. Ririn Tri Ratnasari, SE., M.Si. Chair of the Center for Halal Industry and Digitalization (CHID) Lecturer in Islamic Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Airlangga and Dr. Phil. Syafiq Hasyim, MA. Director of Library and Culture, International Islamic University of Indonesia (UIII).
Dr. Ririn Tri Ratnasari, SE., M.Si., in her presentation discussed research on halal tourism, which has actually provided extraordinary income to Indonesia's GDP. In general, Halal Tourism is tourism based on Islamic values. She emphasized Halal Tourism in Sumatra because it has received awards for existing halal tourism, in addition to the existence of Islamic cultural sites. In Dr. Ririn's research, respondents based on field facts that Muslim visitors have easy access to various things, destinations, and their compatibility with Islamic culture. Although there are many positive aspects as one of Indonesia's halal tourism, West Sumatra still needs a greater commitment to improving the quality of halal tourism there.
Then, Dr. Phil. Syafiq Hasyim, MA., presented on the issue of halal from an Islamic legal or fiqh perspective. He stated that there had been some debate previously about why halal goods are certified, rather than haram ones. This is because halal goods are more abundant than haram goods, and a greater quantity of goods will incur higher costs.
Indonesia generally adheres to the Shafi'i school of thought, which states that a halal product also requires a halal process, not just the product itself. However, the Indonesian system has not yet addressed this, which is a weakness. According to him, Indonesia's non-inclusive system cannot guarantee Indonesia's achievement as a Global Halal Center by 2024.
After a Q&A session related to the material presented in Talkshow 2, the event was paused for a break and then continued with a Halal Research Panel session which was divided into two groups with each having a different topic and moderator. Mrs. Puji Sucia Sukmaningrum, SE., CIFP. with the topic “Halal Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics” and Mr. Adistiar Prayoga, S.EI., MM with the topic “Halal Tourism and Food”. At the end of the session, the moderator concluded the discussion and officially closed the event.