The Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) yesterday conducted a briefing to support Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) in attracting investors for the two furniture parks currently under construction in the state at Putrajaya International Convention Centre.

In a statement, the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities said the briefing was organised for the timber industry players in Peninsular Malaysia and potential investors.

“STIDC said it has all the machinery in place to make Sarawak the new furniture hub and hopes to collaborate with MTC and industry players to materialise this initiative,” said the ministry.

It said MTC had continuously undertaken various engagement programmes with stakeholders to tackle challenges faced by industry players, and was committed to achieve objectives set out in the MTC Roadmap 2019-2023 and the National Agricommodity Policy 2021-2030.

“MTC sees its position within the trade and its proximity with the government as a strength and opportunity to further enhance the competitiveness of the Malaysian timber industry.”

Looking at the state’s timber resources, the ministry said the resources have a high potential for the production of value-added wooden-based products and the furniture park was a timely setup for the development of its timber industry.

“The Sarawak Furniture Park, developed in collaboration with industry players, which will be set up in Kuching and Tanjung Manis, is part of the state government’s efforts to strengthen Sarawak’s downstream timber operations with higher value-added products in order to develop the state’s furniture industry.”

It said Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Willie Mongin was present at the briefing and stressed that the timber industry would continue to be an important economic sector for the state, in terms of employment opportunities, business creation and export earnings.

The ministry said the furniture park initiative was part of the Sarawak state government’s policy under its Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030), which focused on producing more timber-based products.

Willie said the furniture park will assist the state to double its timber export revenue from about RM4 billion to RM8 billion by 2030.

“Apart from furniture, other value-added products identified to contribute to this export target are engineered wood products, plywood-based and bamboo-based products,” said Willie.

The deputy minister also remarked that the parks will facilitate efficient horizontal and vertical integration with sustainably sourced raw materials.

Besides, STIDC said the state was gearing to certify 4.5 million hectares of long-term timber licence area and 178,000 hectares of forest plantation under the Malaysian Timber Certification Council.

“The state government is also looking into human capital and infrastructure development to accelerate the growth of the furniture park,” said STIDC in the statement.

The corporation added the furniture park was expected to generate about RM500 million in investment.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by SAM CHUA

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