Key Takeaways
- Historic Regional Expansion: The inaugural World Halal Excellence Awards (WHEA) 2025 Borneo, co-hosted by HDC and MINTRED Sarawak in Kuching, marks the official decentralisation of Malaysia’s halal ecosystem beyond Peninsular Malaysia, positioning East Malaysia as a gateway to BIMP-EAGA trade.
- State Performance Recognition: Sarawak was awarded the Halal State Performance Excellence Award, anchored by its Sarawak Halal Industry Development Plan 2026–2030 and a growing base of over 1,100 active halal-certified entities across agriculture, manufacturing, and services.
- Multi-Sectoral Value Chain Expansion: The 12 award categories spanned traditional food and beverage, Islamic banking, subsea logistics, Muslim-friendly hospitality, and youth-led tech enterprises, demonstrating the breadth of Malaysia’s global halal leadership.
Decentralising Malaysia’s Halal Economy to the Borneo Corridor
Malaysia’s global leadership in the Islamic economy, reflected in its top spot in the State of the Global Islamic Economy (GIE) Report for 12 consecutive years, is undergoing a strategic geographic shift. By hosting the World Halal Excellence Awards (WHEA) 2025 Borneo alongside the inaugural Borneo International Halal Showcase (BIHAS) 2026 in Kuching, the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) and Halal Development Corporation Berhad (HDC) are leveraging East Malaysia to unlock regional growth across the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
The event highlighted Sarawak’s transition from a regional producer into a commercial gateway. Driven by progressive state policy, infrastructure investment, and cross-border trade agreements, Sarawak is integrating domestic entrepreneurs directly into global supply chains.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SARAWAK HALAL INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK (2026–2030) │
├──────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┤
│ Policy & Governance │ Infrastructure & Trade │ Enterprise Upskilling │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ • PCDS 2030 Alignment │ • Cross-Border Trade │ • Halal SME Capacity │
│ • State Performance │ Corridors (BIMP-EAGA) │ Building & Incubation │
│ Excellence Framework │ • BIHAS Trade Platform │ • Youth & Female │
│ • JAKIM/HDC Standards │ • Logistics Integration │ Entrepreneur Support │
└──────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────┘
Roll of Honour: WHEA 2025 Borneo Winners
The 12 award recipients represent the diversity and maturity of Malaysia’s halal economy, ranging from multinational consumer brands and regional logistics providers to grassroots entrepreneurs:
| Award Category | Recipient / Organisation | Sectoral Impact & Operational Contribution |
| Halal Leadership Excellence | Dato Sri Haji Mohd. Naroden Haji Majais | Outstanding contribution to advancing Sarawak’s industrial trade policies and halal infrastructure. |
| Halal State Performance Excellence | State Government of Sarawak | Exemplary state-level governance, policy framework execution, and hosting of BIHAS 2026. |
| Halal SME Excellence | Teck Lee Seng Coffee Products Sdn. Bhd. | Operational excellence and export scale in local coffee manufacturing and processing. |
| Halal Prominent Brand Excellence | Mamee Double Decker Distribution (M) Sdn. Bhd. | Global brand penetration and strict compliance across multinational supply chains. |
| Halal Logistics Excellence | Saddad Resources Sdn. Bhd. | End-to-end halal-certified cold chain and freight management services. |
| Franchise Excellence | SCR Corporation Sdn. Bhd. | Scalable halal food service franchise expansion across regional markets. |
| Halal Gourmet F&B Excellence | DuluKita Holdings Sdn. Bhd. | Innovation in premium halal culinary heritage and commercial foodservice. |
| Muslim-Friendly Tourism Excellence | Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu | Benchmark implementation of Muslim-friendly hospitality and luxury accommodation standards. |
| Technology & Innovation Excellence | Ahmad Tamar Sdn. Bhd. | Integration of technology in processing, packaging, and supply chain traceability. |
| Islamic Financial Services Excellence | Affin Islamic Bank Berhad | Provision of competitive, shariah-compliant commercial financing and SME liquidity tools. |
| Woman Entrepreneur Excellence | Cherry Chew Li Ding (Hong Xin Food Sdn. Bhd.) | Leadership in expanding food manufacturing capabilities and international market reach. |
| Youth Entrepreneur Excellence | Dr. Hj. Mohamad Hafeezi Dato’ Hj. Abdullah (Kek Lapis Warisan) | Commercial scaling and modernization of traditional Sarawakian bakery products. |
Strategic Synergies Across the BIMP-EAGA Growth Zone
Sarawak’s recognition via the Halal State Performance Excellence Award reflects concrete progress on the ground. With the launch of the Sarawak Halal Industry Development Plan 2026–2030, the state is pairing local agricultural outputs with advanced food processing and logistics corridors.
Concurrently, the inaugural BIHAS 2026 conference secured seven international Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) valued at an estimated US$9 million, establishing initial trade ties with Singapore, Indonesia, and Pakistan. By connecting local SMEs, such as coffee producers, bakery brands, and logistics providers, to wider trade networks, East Malaysia is constructing a self-sustaining regional economy.
Editor’s Take
The Strategic Why: Decentralising the national halal roadmap to East Malaysia is a pragmatic economic strategy. Sarawak’s proximity to Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara, alongside established sea lanes within the BIMP-EAGA region, gives Kuching a distinct geographic advantage. By securing state-level infrastructure, expanding certification capabilities, and supporting local enterprise, Malaysia is ensuring that its leadership in the global halal economy remains rooted in regional industrial capacity rather than policy alone.