TIMBER industry players have been encouraged to transform their activities and operations to provide more high value-added timber products.
Deputy Premier and Minister of Natural Resources and Urban Development Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said one of the transformation efforts is by using more raw materials from forest and bamboo plantations optimally.
He said the performance of Sarawak’s timber industry last year showed an increase in export value by two percent to RM3.95 billion compared to RM3.88 billion in 2021.
However, he said for the first quarter of 2023, the export value of timbe products showed a decrease of 28 per cent to RM752 million compared to RM1.04 billion in the same period last year.
“The decrease in the number of exports is the result of the reduction in the import of major products such as plywood, logs, and fibreboards by Japan and India.
“At the moment, the export of timber products in Sarawak is still focused on the export of the main product,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech in the State Legislative Assembly today.
Awang Tengah said that in the first quarter of this year, Japan is the main importing country for timber products from Sarawak and this contributes as much RM377 million or 50 percent of the state’s total export value.
He said other main markets are India amounting to RM99 million, Middle East countries (RM80 million), Taiwan (RM41 million) and China (RM37 million).
In view of this, he said local producers and exports of timber products must be competitive in the local and global markets by adapting Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) technology which emphasises automation and digitalisation.
“The industry needs to change and be committed to implementing retooling in its operations in accordance with the supply of raw materials obtained from forest plantations.
“The state government has an ongoing commitment to drive the sustainability of the timber industry, so that it is always relevant and competitive,” he said.
He said the industry must also commit to a paradigm shift to support and realise the aspirations of the state government to achieve economic prosperity, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability.
