Zahid, who also holds the rural and regional development portfolio, said that while all states have Halal Industry Development Councils, not all have developed their own halal industries.

He also said that states with established halal industries, such as Penang, could serve as benchmarks, and challenged other states to build halal industrial parks that are even larger and more impactful.

“Even states governed by Islam-based parties don’t have (fully developed) halal industries. I hope that they don’t just talk, but act if they truly champion Islam,” he said in his speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Perda Halal Park Phase 2 in Kubang Menerong, here.

“We want to see halal industrial parks created in these states. The respective states must set up these industrial parks.”

Besides Penang, seven other states have Halal Malaysia-accredited parks: Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Kelantan, Perak, Johor, and Pahang.

Zahid, who chairs the national halal council, also expressed hope that the halal sector could contribute 15% to the national gross domestic product by 2030.

He noted the export potential, saying the halal food and beverage sector currently generates more than RM34 billion, yet accounts for only 2% of total halal exports.

“We hope that the industry players in this Perda Halal Park will not just focus on food and beverage products alone.

“We need to get out of this cocoon. I am confident that there are many other products that we can market domestically and internationally,” he added.