Bangladesh seeks Malaysia’s cooperation in setting up a halal industrial park

Bangladesh has sought Malaysia’s assistance in establishing a halal industrial park as part of its plan to tap into the rapidly growing global halal products market.

“We should move forward on this,” Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus said during a meeting with Malaysian halal industry leaders at his hotel in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

The Malaysian delegation was led by Datin Paduka Hajah Hakimah binti Mohd Yusoff, Coordinator of Halal Affairs under the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Department. Also present were Sirajuddin Bin Suhaimee, Director General of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), and Hairol Ariffein Sahari, Chief Executive Officer of the Halal Development Corporation (HDC).

Officials briefed Professor Yunus that the global halal products market is currently valued at USD 3 trillion and could reach USD 5 trillion by 2030. Malaysia, with at least 14 halal industrial parks, holds a significant share, alongside Middle Eastern countries, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand.

As the country with the world’s third-largest Muslim population, Bangladesh has strong potential in this sector, provided it develops robust infrastructure and certification systems. Currently, the Islamic Foundation Bangladesh is the sole authority for halal certification, with only 124 manufacturers certified to date.

BIDA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud bin Harun urged Malaysia to help identify the necessary requirements for setting up a halal industrial park in Bangladesh. “Perhaps we can work together to outline what’s needed to build a halal products industry,” he said, adding that many Bangladeshi companies are eager to export halal-certified goods.

Professor Yunus described the meeting as highly informative, remarking, “Thank you for the insight — it feels like a class on halal products.”

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh and Malaysia exchanged a note of cooperation on halal ecosystems, a step officials dubbed “halal diplomacy.” Sirajuddin Bin Suhaimee said Malaysia would soon send a team to Bangladesh to assess its needs.

The meeting was also attended by Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, Energy Adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan, Chief Adviser’s Special Envoy Lutfey Siddiqi, and Senior Secretary for SDG Affairs Lamiya Morshed.