By Zaphne Philip
KUCHING, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- The export value of timber and timber-based products from Sarawak is estimated to have reached RM1.16 billion as of June this year, said Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (Pusaka) general manager Datuk Zainal Abidin Abdullah.
He said the export value was lower than the RM1.21 billion recorded during the same period last year, due to challenges stemming from market prices, product value and changing international market conditions.
“However, plywood remained the main contributor, with an export value of more than RM500 million, followed by logs at about RM192 million and wood substitute products at RM180 million,” he told Bernama.
Downstream products also contributed to the overall export value, amounting to RM200 million during the same period. “Most products, such as wood waste, biomass, wood pellets, wood panels and biochar, are exported to Japan and China. For the downstream timber industry, Pusaka encourages industry players to use timber resources from forest plantation areas,” he added.
He noted that the Sarawak government had stopped issuing logging licences since 2014 to curb illegal logging and uncontrolled forest encroachment that could damage the environment. At the same time, he said, the government issued licences such as industrial tree plantation (ITP) licences for reforestation, aimed at maintaining environmental sustainability while ensuring a continuous supply of raw materials for the state’s downstream timber industry.
“We encourage downstream industry players to produce value-added products to increase export value in the future, rather than merely exporting logs,” he said.
According to Pusaka records, more than 500,000 hectares of land throughout Sarawak had been approved for forest plantation development under licences issued by the Sarawak Forestry Department. He said the initiative was aimed at strengthening the state’s timber industry, which has set a target of RM8 billion in export value by 2030.
“We have undertaken various efforts to attract new investments, including the provision of a furniture park involving infrastructure investment worth more than RM200 million. To date, we have been working with local industry players under the Sarawak Furniture Industry Association (SFIA), and all these registered entrepreneurs are quite active in promoting furniture products for both domestic and international markets,” he added.
-- BERNAMA