The Indonesian Muslim Entrepreneur Community (KPMI), renowned for its significant contributions to Indonesia’s thriving halal industry, stands proudly as one of the esteemed strategic partners of Halal Expo Indonesia (HEI) 2023.
KPMI, a non-profit organisation, is devoted to becoming a place for Muslim entrepreneurs in Indonesia to learn and grow together, enabling them to enhance their professionalism in conducting business and apply Shariah principles across all aspects of their operations.
According to Drs. Rachmat Sutarnas Marpaung (pix), Chairman of KPMI, the halal industry is a sector currently experiencing rapid growth, not only in countries with a majority Muslim population but also in countries with a non-Muslim majority population.
“Awareness regarding the significance of developing halal products and services is consistently and significantly increasing. For many individuals, halal is no longer merely perceived as a religious obligation but as a necessity and a way of life that must be fulfilled.
“This is because halal products and services embody the essence of Thayyiban, encompassing goodness, fairness, well-being for all, and sustainability, which is currently an important issue in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG),” Rachmat elaborated.
FOUR PILLARS OF KPMI
Rachmat stated that KPMI emphasised four key pillars in its programmes and activities. The first pillar is Education, which aims to enhance Islamic economic and financial literacy and halal awareness among its members.
This objective is achieved by developing training, coaching, and mentoring programmes offered via the KPMI Entrepreneur School, Electronic Lectures on fiqh muamalah (e-KFM), Export Academy, and Halal Industry Academy. Additionally, KPMI collaborates with strategic partners to provide its members with diverse business coaching and mentoring initiatives.
“The second pillar involves supporting its members in producing products that adhere to local and international standards or certifications through building joint halal production houses, helping them gain access to obtaining halal certificates and product distribution permits, and fulfilling the standards needed both in local and global markets.
“The third pillar, KPMI, in collaboration with its strategic partners, also facilitates its members who need Shariah-based financing for their business development, both from banks and non-bank financing institutions.”
Meanwhile, the fourth pillar enables KPMI to facilitate the marketing of its members’ products and services through the organisation of halal industry exhibitions, including Muslim lifestyle festivals, Muslim life fairs, and Halal Expo Indonesia.
“KPMI also develops a distributorship and reseller network for its members, facilitates business matchmaking with domestic and foreign entrepreneurs, and holds trade missions to various countries to help KPMI members meet potential partners abroad,” Rachmat said.
INDONESIA’S LARGEST HALAL EXHIBITION
Rachmat highlighted that HEI 2023 held significant importance for both KPMI and the halal industry stakeholders, Islamic economy, and finance. He emphasised that the event would be the largest halal exhibition in Indonesia, showcasing halal products and services from various countries.
The event would feature numerous talk shows, conferences, competitions, business matching, investor forums, business pitching, and other engaging programmes.
“In this event, participants from various sectors (private, government, non-government) can meet to build networks, exchange ideas, views and information, seek business and investment opportunities or make mutually profitable transactions. This event is hoped to provide many advantages and benefits for all involved.”
