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Head of economic affairs of East Java provincial government Tiat Surtiati Suwardi. ANTARA/HO - 

East Java Province has eyed Muslim-majority countries in Asia Pacific and Africa to expand its halal food export as halal has become a global life style.

"In the midst of the fact that the world's Muslim population in 2030 is expected to reach 2.158 billion or 26 percent of the world's total population, our halal product market potential is very huge," Head of the Economic Affairs Office at East Java Provincial Government Tiat Surtiati Suwardi said here on Saturday.

East Java's exports of non-oil and gas products have recorded a surplus of US$1.56 billion in 2020.

The export value of food and beverage products has reached US$309 billion. Some 20.1 percent were contributed by the markets of such Muslim-majority countries as Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Egypt, and United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The province's export value of textile and textile products during the period were recorded at US$0.25 billion while those of pharmaceutical products and cosmetics stood at US$0.20 billion, and US$40.16 million respectively.

"All those products have quite big markets in Muslim-majority countries. The cosmetic products, in particular, are absorbed by some 49.35 percent of the markets in OIC member countries," she said.

Tiat Surtiati said among the potential halal export destination countries for East Java are Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Egypt, UAE, Bangladesh, Turkey, Oman, Maldives, Iran, Qatar, Libya, and Iraq.

However, only 2,223 of 479,621 small and medium scale enterprises in food and beverage in the province have had halal certificates, she said.

East Java has initiated the establishment of special area for halal industry in Sidoarjo, and is encouraging Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) to contribute to the development of halal products through the "One Pesantren One Product" Program, she added//ANT