KUCHING: The Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation — STIDC (or Pusaka) is now focusing on its bamboo pilot project besides maintaining its timber interests.
“Since six months ago, we’ve planted 13 species of bamboo in an area with a 25-hectare radius near Sabal Forest Reserve in Balai Ringin,” its assistant general manager for resource planning, Hamzah Morshidi, told reporters.
He explained that the corporation was working on how not be too dependent on certain natural resources such as timber.
“Yet while working on bamboo we also focused on re-planting trees,” he said during STIDC’s ‘Ibadah Qurban’ programme, yesterday at Pusaka Furniture Industrial Complex (Kompleks Industri Perabot Pusaka) in Kota Samarahan.
Hamzah, who was also organising chairman for the event, said that the bamboo pilot project
was being monitored by the Sarawak Bamboo Industry Committee.
He also disclosed that recently some Pusaka officials visited Anji in Zhejiang province, China to try to convince a bamboo manufacturer there to open up a branch in Sarawak.
The proposal is supported by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) and China trade delegates.
“Also recently, Pusaka officials visited Singapore (where a branch has been opened) to promote Sarawak timber products.”
