Hawzah News Agency (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) - Its Director of Halal Hub Division, Datuk Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee said, "This is backed by the consistently improving demand for halal-certified products not just from Muslim countries but also non-Muslim countries that seek hygienic processes and food safety as well as halal and shariah-compliant services."

He said countries with high demand for halal certification from Jakim include China, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Sirajuddin said approval for halal certification applications by foreign companies currently takes about three months and up to 30 days for local firms.

To date, he said 42 countries have recognized the Jakim halal certification with the latest being Lithuania and Kazakhstan.

"There is ongoing demand for our halal certification from North European countries," he said after witnessing the signing of a collaborative agreement between Taiwan Halal Integrity Development Association (THIDA) and Serunai Commerce.

The agreement aims to provide halal systems training, development, certification and trading to help propel demand and development in Taiwan. 

To date, about 700 businesses in Taiwan have obtained halal certification by THIDA.

At the event, Serunai Commerce also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Northport (Malaysia) Bhd to create a seamless and integrated logistics system and hub with the objective of making it a global hub for halal trade.

Serunai Commerce is one of the world's first Global Halal Data Pool developer which helps small and medium enterprises trade their products to companies in other countries.

Assisted by Jakim, it also helps consumers to check for the halal status of a product through the Verify Halal App.