Halal firms urged to use technology to enhance products and services

GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has urged halal enterprises to venture into the Industrial 4.0 movement now to boost their products with the latest advancements in technology and innovation.
Using Penang as an example, Lim told the participants of the 9th Penang International Halal Exposition and Conference here to incorporate technology into their operations and finished products.
In Penang, Lim cited the state's bold move to embrace an Artificial Intelligence model to check the spread of the dreaded dengue virus.
Similarly, halal entrepreneurs and businesses can also find ways to boost their products and services through technology, he said when opening the event.
Lim also urged the halal enterprises to tap Penang's reputation as a haven for street gastronomic delights.
Into its ninth term, the event which was the brainchild of state executive councillor Datuk Abdul Malik Abul Kassim has grown from just 84 booths in 2010 to 285 booths this year with the state also pledging RM400 million as capital investments to develop the Penang Halal Industrial Park in Bukit Minyak.
Currently, the park houses mostly food-based industries from manufacturing frozen marine products, coffee and other beverages, bakery, herbal extracts and soya-based perishable products and confectionaries.
Later, Lim also slammed MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong for misleading the public by claiming that the east coast rail link was a government to government project, which does not involve the private sector.
"It is the private sector who will have to bear the work and construction aspects."
It is disheartening to note that the issue keeps on getting raised, forcing the state government to clarify on countless occasions, he added.