PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia will optimise on its strong ties with Saudi Arabia, following the recent visit by King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud, to boost the country's halal initiatives. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were among the nations which had expressed a keen interest in building a halal ecosystem with Malaysia. The new economic strategy will be about developing halal products and goods,” he said in a statement after chairing the first Halal Malaysia Council meeting today. Zahid said the council had also deliberated on the need to form a permanent secretariat to ensure the country's National Halal Policy would be developed, coordinated and monitored in a holistic manner. He said more must be done to boost the ‘Halal Malaysia’ ecosystem, which would require all ministries' halal initiatives to move in sync towards concrete objectives.

Source: New Strait Times March 03, 2017 06:00 UTC