‘Authenticity remains ASEAN’s advantage in global halal landscape’
Thai Muslim Trade Association president says ASEAN is only region that has authenticity and capability in one place
KUCHING, Malaysia (MNTV) – ASEAN holds every component of a complete halal value chain but is ceding the market to non-Muslim exporters because its member states are selling those strengths separately, said Thai Muslim Trade Association president Marut Mekloy, as quoted by The Borneo Post.
He pointed out that the world’s largest Muslim consumer market “does not feed itself”, as the biggest halal food exporters are non-Muslim nations such as Brazil, Australia, India, the United States and Thailand.
“Our competitors are not each other. Our competitors are countries like Brazil, Australia and India, and they compete on scale and on price. However, they do not compete on authenticity,” he said at the 2026 Borneo International Halal Showcase.
“Authenticity is one advantage that cannot be bought, cannot be undercut, and cannot be replicated by a country that lacks it.
“ASEAN is the only region on Earth that has authenticity and capability in the same place. But we are currently offering that advantage to the world in seven separate packages.”
According to Mekloy, global Muslim consumer spending sits at around $2.3 trillion to $2.5 trillion a year, with food and beverage alone accounting for close to $1.4 trillion.
He added the market is served by more than 400 certification bodies applying different standards, forcing producers to re-audit and re-pay to enter each new country.
He said the ASEAN region already possesses the full chain between its members: Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH), Thailand’s production and food science, Brunei’s premium standards, Singapore’s Islamic finance, and emerging supply from the Philippines and Vietnam.
“Not all of us have all of it, but all of us together have all of it. When a buyer in Riyadh, in Lagos, in Almaty, does not want to manage seven certification relationships, they want one trusted regional partner,” he said.
In stating this, Mekloy proposed four measures, the first being mutual recognition agreements between existing certification bodies with each accepting the other’s audit. This, he said, could be achieved in years, against a decade or more for full harmonisation of ASEAN halal standards.
Second, an “ASEAN Halal Corridor” of shared digital traceability allowing buyers to verify a full chain of custody by scanning a single code.
Third, a shared certification-support scheme for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which make up most Halal producers but for them multi-market certification is often “prohibitively expensive”.
“A full ASEAN certification support scheme would put those producers onto the highway instead of leaving them stranded on the side roads. This is where the growth is. Not in our largest firms, but in our smallest ones,” he added.
Fourth, he called for Muslim-friendly hospitality to be treated as a second pillar of the industry, citing projections of 230 million to 245 million Muslim travellers by 2030 and spending approaching $250 billion.
“No single country’s halal ecosystem survives global competition, not in the long run. Thailand cannot do this alone. Neither can Malaysia, Indonesia or Sarawak. But ASEAN can, and no one else can do it the way we can,” he said.
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