KUCHING: The Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) is focusing on empowering downstream timber operations to develop the state’s furniture industry.
“Efforts are being intensified by STIDC to develop the timber industry to a high value-added industry to achieve the projected export value of RM8 billion in 2030,” said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan.
To achieve these targets and projections, the state government is placing emphasis on the development of forest plantations.
“This measure can ensure a sustainable supply of raw materials for the local timber downstream industry.
“That is why changes and shifts to process wood from forest plantations to produce high value-added products, especially engineered wood and furniture, are given due emphasis,” he said after attending the ‘Sumbangan Derma STIDC’ event at Wisma Sumber Alam yesterday (April 22).
He said as part of efforts to add value to the industry, STIDC would work with the industry to develop furniture parks in Kuching and Tanjung Manis.
“Infrastructure and facilities such as the furniture park will act as a catalyst for local and foreign investors in the furniture industry, especially for the export market.
“STIDC has been collaborating with other agencies and institutes of higher learning in research and development for forest plantations, bamboo and local species,” he added.
For the record, STIDC currently has developed a bamboo plantation in Sabal as a pilot project.
“The target is to develop 10,000 hectares of bamboo plantations by 2030.
“This aims to ensure adequate supply of bamboo to support the development of bamboo-based downstream industries, such as furniture, engineered bamboo-based products, handicrafts, cosmetics, fuel and food with a budget export value of RM250 million by 2030,” he explained.
In a related development, Awang Tengah announced that the wood-based industry contributed RM1.04 billion in export earnings from January to March this year.
This represented an increase of 26 per cent compared to the RM826 million earned for the same period last year.
He said plywood was the main wood-based product produced and exported by Sarawak from January to March this year.
“The export value of plywood grew by 23 per cent to RM603 million for the period against RM488 million in January to March 2021,” he said.
