SINGAPORE - More than 3,000 local businesses will save up to 25 per cent in certification fees as a result of a three-month extension of halal certification granted by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis).

The extension applies to businesses under the "Eating Establishment" and "Food Preparation Area" scheme that are halal-certified as of Aug 1, said Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Ms Low Yen Ling, on Friday (Aug 7).

Ms Low made the announcement in a Facebook post in which she wrote about cutting red tape and streamlining rules to help businesses get through the coronavirus pandemic.

The extension of the halal certification is supported by the Pro-Enterprise Panel of the Ministry for Trade and Industry, which comprises business leaders and senior government officials working on reducing the regulatory burden on companies.

Ms Low added that since January last year, the certification of halal food has been available on an auto-renewal basis for companies with good track record.

"The move has helped businesses avoid renewal lapses and saved each company about 16 man-hours for each application cycle," she said.