BY ABIDGAIL MERTA GANGGANG
DATUK Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan highlighted the significant role of investment in propelling development, stimulating economic activities, and generating employment opportunities in Sarawak.
In 2022 alone, the region attracted a total investment of RM32bil, leading to the creation of over 5,000 new jobs, he revealed.
“The primary sector emerged as the leader, contributing RM22.3bil, followed by the manufacturing sector at RM5.2bil and the services sector at RM4.5bil. Notably, the manufacturing sector demonstrated exceptional performance in terms of investments.”
The Deputy Premier added that Sarawak had approved RM9.6bil for 87 manufacturing-related projects from 2022 until the first quarter of 2023. “These investments are projected to generate more than 6,700 employment opportunities, further strengthening the local workforce.”
Within the manufacturing sector, major approved projects in the electrical and electronic products sector received a substantial investment of RM6.29bil, focusing on items such as substrates for hard disk drives, solar ingots, wafers, and processed semiconductor wafers, he said.
Additionally, the basic metal products sector secured RM2.58bil in investments, encompassing copper foil, metallic silicon, and related products.
“The plastic products sector received RM167mil for the production of plastic pipes, while the services sector obtained RM110.4mil for warehouse, logistics, and cold storage facilities.
“Furthermore, the chemical and chemical products sector attracted an investment of RM106mil, primarily focused on fertilizer production.”
Awang Tengah, who is also Minister for International Trade, Industry and Investment, shared these insights during his ministerial winding-up speech at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting on today (May 24).
