BY SARAH HAFIZAH CHANDRA and ALEXANDRA LORNA
KUCHING: The Sarawak Timber Bill Industry Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2022 will strengthen STIDC in regulating the industry, said Datuk Len Talif Salleh.
The Deputy Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment said this will bolster the downstream industry in line with the function of STIDC to spearhead the development of the timber industry in Sarawak.
“The transfer of power from the Director of Forest Department to the general manager of STIDC is the right move as it will allow STIDC to further improve the coordination and effectiveness of the development of the timber industry especially the downstream industry in addition to complementing the state government’s emphasis on high value-added timber products,” he said in winding up after tabling the Bill on Today (Nov 23).
Len pointed out that STIDC has a sufficient and experienced team to carry out industrial management and enforcement operations to comply with the amendment to the Ordinance.
He said STIDC will also continue to cooperate with other enforcement agencies in strengthening enforcement activities.
At the same time, he said under Clause 5C (1) the STIDC general manager is authorised to issue temporary permits to process timber products for local community use.
“This will speed up the issuance of temporary permits as long as they comply with the prescribed conditions and the enforcement will be improved,” he added.
