THE Serian Master Plan Study 2020-2030 has identified Tebedu Industrial Estate (TIE) as the manufacturing hub for Serian Division.
Deputy Minister for International Trade, Industry and Investment Datuk Dr Malcolm Mussen Lamoh said that TIE will leverage on large plantations of rubber trees in the neighbouring region and downstream rubber processing activities.
“The study envisaged that TIE will be developed to process both latex-based products and rubber wood for furniture manufacturing.
“This industry will create synergistic benefits with West Kalimantan,” he said in reply to Dr Simon Sinang (GPS-Tebedu) during question time today.
He said TIE is located strategically in the region and has big potential to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and domestic direct investment (DDI).
“The government will continue to promote TIE to attract more manufacturing companies. There is an inland port at the industrial estate to provide logistics, immigration and customs clearance services. Currently, a wood furniture project has been approved to be sited there,” he added.
Meanwhile, he said the new Tebedu Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex (ICQS) project is currently in the design stage.
“When the new ICQS is completed, it will further enhance border trade which has big potential.
“The Sarawak government will pursue with the federal government to engage with the Indonesian government to normalise the border trade between these two countries, as well as review the Border Crossing Agreement (BCA) 1967 and Border Trade Agreement (BTA) 1970,” he added.
On updates for the normalisation of trade at Tebedu-Entikong, Malcolm said continuous engagements between the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) Malaysia and the Indonesian Ministry of Trade have been ongoing to normalise trade between Tebedu and Entikong.
“Another round of meetings between the ministers of both countries is scheduled to take place in May this year and MITI will seek Indonesia’s clarification on the subject matter as Entikong has already been gazetted as an international dry port.
“With the anticipation that both the Border Crossing Agreement (BCA) and Border Trade Agreement (BTA) could be signed this year, it is hoped that this will spur more positive economic impacts to both parties and attract more investors to setup manufacturing projects at the Tebedu Industrial Estate,” added Malcolm.
