A halal product is no longer just a matter of what may or may not be consumed. Behind every halal product lies a long chain involving raw materials, production processes, technology, laboratories, human resources, and ultimately distribution and product traceability.

Amid this increasingly complex chain, Indonesia needs more talent who not only understand halal principles, but who also possess the technical competencies the industry requires.

This issue formed one of the common threads running through the National Seminar “The Role of Halal Vocational Education in Supporting the National Halal Ecosystem Toward Indonesia as a Global Halal Industry Hub,” held at the Convention Hall of UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta on Wednesday (9/9/2026).

The seminar, held as part of the launch of the Applied Bachelor's Program in Halal Production Technology at the Faculty of Science and Technology, UIN Sunan Kalijaga, featured three speakers from strategic institutions involved in developing the national halal ecosystem. They were Fertiana Santy, Ph.D., Director of Partnership and Cooperation at the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH); Ir. H. Putu Rahdhawiyasa, MBA., CIPM, Director of Halal Product Industry at the National Committee for Sharia Economy and Finance (KNEKS); and Satriyo Krido Wahono, Ph.D., Head of the Center for Food Technology and Process Research at BRIN (National Research and Innovation Agency). The discussion was moderated by Galuh Tri Pambekti, S.E.I., M.E.K.

The three speakers brought different perspectives yet converged on a single message: Indonesia's halal ecosystem requires collaboration among regulation, education, industry, research, and technology.

Fertiana Santy opened the discussion by outlining the development of Indonesia's halal product assurance ecosystem. According to her, Indonesia's journey in building a halal product assurance system has progressed rapidly, marked by a growing number of certified products and an increasingly robust national halal infrastructure.