Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) emphasized that Indonesia needs to take on a strategic role in the global hajj economy, given the vast economic potential accompanying the annual organization of hajj and umrah pilgrimages.Member of the BPKH Executive Board for Direct Investment, M. Arief Mufraini, said that since the establishment of BPKH Limited in 2023, the body has been designed as an investment instrument in the hajj and umrah sectors.”The initial orientation of establishing BPKH Limited, with support from other ministries, specifically the Religious Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, and the Finance Ministry, is direct investment in the hajj and umrah ecosystem,” Mufraini said in a statement on Monday.Indonesia is the country with the largest number of hajj pilgrims in the world. Each year, more than 200,000 people depart for the Holy Land, in addition to umrah pilgrims, whose numbers are estimated to exceed 1.5 million.These activities form a high-value economic ecosystem covering hospitality, consumption, transportation, logistics, and other supporting service sectors. According to Mufraini, the move aims to ensure that Indonesia is not merely a seasonal buyer or procurement source, but holds a strategic position in the hajj economic value chain through investment schemes.”This is the first stage to gradually shift from procurement to investment,” he said. During the process of market penetration and the learning curve, BPKH Limited requires regulatory strengthening through revisions to the Hajj Financial Management Law. This will allow the ecosystem investment model to be implemented more comprehensively. Meanwhile, Head of the BPKH Executive Board, Fadlul Imansyah, emphasized that the steps taken by his institution are aimed at building the foundation of hajj economic sovereignty.”What is being built is the foundation of hajj economic sovereignty, not intermediary practices,” Imansyah said. Additionally, the development of Kampung Haji, or Hajj Village, is intended to strengthen Indonesia’s position in the global hajj ecosystem.”This is not a sectoral agenda, but a national strategic agenda to strengthen Indonesia’s position in the global hajj ecosystem,” he added.