Indonesia is strongly pushing its Halal exports towards the Middle East, declaring the region a priority market. For an Italian agri-food company, this is not a distant scenario: it is a concrete sign of intensifying competition on the same shelves. Here is what it means and what to do.
Indonesia's Deputy Minister of Trade has publicly stated that the Middle East represents a substantial market for the country's Halal food and beverage products. The news, reported by Antara News and picked up by The Halal Times on 14 August 2026, comes as overall growth in Indonesian food & beverage exports remains below global demand. Jakarta wants to close this gap with a targeted strategy towards the Gulf countries and the wider Arab world.
For many Italian companies, this might look like news about another continent. In reality it directly affects anyone who produces and wants to sell in Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and all the Muslim-majority markets of the region.
Italy is a quality exporter in the agri-food sector: cheese, cured meats, preserves, pasta, oil, bakery products. Many of these products already have a natural market in Islamic countries, where the middle class is growing and demand for quality European products is well established.
The problem is that access to these markets is not won on product quality alone: it is won with Halal certification recognised by the local authorities. And on this front, the large Asian exporting countries — Indonesia first and foremost, but also Malaysia, Turkey and Brazil — are moving in an increasingly organised way.
When Indonesia's Deputy Minister declares the Middle East a priority market, he is also saying that Indonesian companies are investing in certification, in mutual recognition agreements between bodies and in a commercial presence in the region. An Italian company that does not yet have Halal certification — or has it from a body not recognised by the destination country — risks losing space on those very shelves.
This is the point many business owners underestimate. Obtaining a Halal certificate is not enough: what matters is which body issued it and whether that body is recognised by the authority of the country where you want to sell.
Each Islamic country has its own system for recognising foreign certification bodies:
A certificate issued by a body not on these lists does not open customs doors, does not pass import checks and does not allow the Halal logo to be displayed on the shelf. The product may be held or rejected.
If you are considering exporting to one or more Gulf countries or other Islamic markets, the first step is to check whether your production chain is compatible with Halal requirements and whether your certification body is actually recognised in the destination country. These are not the same check.
In practical terms, these are the steps to follow:
Indonesia's move towards the Middle East is a sign that the competition is getting organised. Italian companies have a globally recognised quality positioning on their side, but that advantage turns into sales only if the product can actually enter the market.
Those who get certified first also build a reputation with local importers and distributors, who tend to work with stable, reliable suppliers over the long term. Entering late into a market where others have already consolidated is always more expensive.
HQC Italia is the first Halal certification body in Europe, active since 1983 and recognised in more than 50 Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia (SASO and SFDA), the Emirates (GAC and EIAC), Malaysia (JAKIM), Indonesia (MUI and BPJPH), Singapore (MUIS) and Thailand (CICOT). This means that an HQC certificate is recognised in the main destination markets for Italian exports, without the need for multiple certifications with different bodies.
If you want to find out whether your product can be certified and which process applies, you can request a free quote: our technical staff reply within 24 hours.
Tell us about your product and target markets: the quote is free and you will receive it within 24 hours.