Posted on 21 October 2014 – 05:34pm
Karen Arukesamy
CYBERJAYA: More attention should be given to branding and designs of wood products in Malaysia to be known worldwide for its quality timber and wood products, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.
Urging the industry to move faster and grow stronger, he said this industry would help to maximise contributions to further develop the nation.
“I am confident that with the natural resources we have, especially the variety of timber, wood and bio-composite materials, it would be an added advantage to Malaysia’s competitiveness compared the other timber exporters globally,” Muhyiddin said in his speech at the launch of a new residential property, Chengal House here today.
He said the Malaysian timber and wood products have received world recognition and have its products marketed in 160 countries including main export markets United States, Japan, Australia, Singapore and United Kingdom.
“I want to see this industry move fast and continue to grow stronger so that it could help maximise contributions to developing the nation.
“Thus, attention should be given to branding and product design as this would enable Malaysia to be known worldwide for the quality of timber products offered,” he said.
Muhyiddin also witnessed the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the government, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Paramount Corporation Bhd, the developer of Chengal House.
Chengal House is the first commercial property development of its kind in Malaysia to be built using reclaimed chengal timber.
The government’s economic initiatives, he said, are not only to spur building and development but also to give importance to managing Malaysia’s natural resources intelligently.
“Malaysia, as a major producer and exporter of tropical timber, has made tremendous efforts to ensure its products are sourced from sustainably sourced forests.
“This is also where the importance of good forestry management practices come in, to ensure the enforcement of guidelines, laws and policies in relation to Malaysia’s natural resources,” Muhyiddin said.
He noted that the commodity sector has contributed to RM114.5billion export value overall and from the total amount, the export of wood products have recorded RM19.53 billion to the commodity export value.
Muhyiddin said this is a clear indication that the industry has been consistently contributing to the growth of the country every year.
“As we already know, the National Timber Policy implemented since 2009 has a target of achieving an export value of RM53 billion in the timber industry by 2020,” he said.
Muhyiddin added that one of the ways to achieve this is to strengthen the competitiveness of the industry in the international commodity trade platform.
