Jakarta. Indonesia and Mexico are currently pursuing a deal that could lead to the world's largest Muslim-majority country recognizing Mexican halal certificates.

With Muslims representing 87 percent of its total population, Indonesia requires all products that enter its market to be halal-certified -- as proof that its production process complies with Islamic law --  by October 2024. 

The Indonesian Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) has been in talks with Mexico for a possible mutual recognition agreement of halal certificates. If they do sign the agreement, Jakarta will accept the halal certificates issued by Mexican certifiers, according to Indonesian diplomat Fiki Oktanio. 

However, Mexico and Indonesia still have a long way to go before they can agree on recognizing one another’s halal certificates. Fiki refused to say when exactly they could reach the mutual recognition agreement as there remained a series of steps that both sides had to go through. This includes on-site visits and field assessments by BPJPH to the certifiers in Mexico.

“So BPJPH has to verify and assess the certifiers [in Mexico] to make sure they meet our standards,” Fiki told reporters on the sidelines of the Indonesian-Latin America and the Caribbean (INA-LAC) Business Forum in Jakarta on Monday evening.

Fiki said the mutual halal certificate recognition could be a boon to Indonesia’s national food security. Mexico can also benefit from the deal as it can export its halal-certified products to Indonesia.

“It is a win-win. We need products from Mexico and other Latin American economies. Halal [certification] is necessary, … especially when we talk about food products. … Mexico also wishes to have its products enter the Indonesian market [to fix] the current bilateral trade balance that is currently in Indonesia’s favor,” Fiki added. 

Government data shows Indonesia-Mexico’s trade stood at $2 billion in 2022. Jakarta posted a $1.4 billion surplus with Mexico that year. Indonesia is also currently discussing similar mutual recognition pacts of halal assurance schemes with Argentina and Chile.