By Geryl Ogilvy
KUCHING, June 28: The 4th Sarawak Timber and SMEs Expo hopes to generate RM7 million in direct sales and strengthen its reputation as an influential trading platform in the region.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan expressed confidence that the expo, held from June 27-30 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), will surpass last year’s sales of RM5 million.
This is considering the increased trade participants to 541, occupying an exhibition space area of 12,000 sq m. Among the exhibitors are 50 from Indonesia, 14 from Brunei Darussalam as well as those from Japan, Peninsular Malaysia and 21 from Sabah.
The expo is a trade and consumer fair serving as a ‘one-stop centre’ that focuses on promoting timber and non-timber based products.
“It aims to provide a platform for producers and manufacturers to showcase and promote sales of their products, establish networking, as well as to attract potential local and foreign buyers and investors,” Awang Tengah said at the expo’s gala dinner and exhibitors night at BCCK yesterday (June 27).
Awang Tengah, who is also Minister of Industrial and Entrepreneur Development, expressed content that this year’s expo had started on a good note, having witnessed the signing of several memorandums of understanding (MoUs) between timber companies and their respective trading partners.
The agreements would be able to generate trade value of RM223 million, he revealed.
This year, the expo, themed `Leveraging Digital Technology in Transforming the Timber and SMEs Industry’, also hosted its first Sarawak Design Conference and Expo, which is jointly organised by Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB).
The conference, themed `Bring Design to our Home’, aimed to create awareness on the importance of design in the timber and SME industry in Sarawak while creating interest in design among local manufacturers.
The inaugural conference will be featuring 14 distinguished speakers (eight keynote speakers and six presenters) during its two-day sessions with roughly 200 registered participants. — DayakDaily
