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KUCHING, July 11: The State government hopes that Putrajaya will be able to fund the estimated RM300 million needed to conduct studies to identify the existence of mineral resources in Sarawak, including the mining of non-radioactive rare earth elements (NR-REE).
According to a TVS news report, Deputy Premier of Sarawak Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, who is also the Second Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development, stated that the State government intends to begin a geological and mineral survey and mapping covering an area of approximately 31,474 square kilometres (3.1474 million hectares).
“In line with the Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, Sarawak is also in the process of transforming the mining sector towards a sustainable and innovative industrial value chain and ecosystem with optimal use of mineral resources by 2030,” he said.
Awang Tengah made the remarks during a courtesy call on Monday (July 10) from a delegation from the Malaysian Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change (NRECC) led by its minister, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, and his deputy, Dato Sri Huang Tiong Sii. Also present at the courtesy call was Deputy Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration, and Environment Datuk Len Talif Salleh.
The Deputy Premier also stated that his ministry is drafting a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NRECC on mineral development in Sarawak.
According to Awang Tengah, the items covered by the MOU would include mineral research and mapping of geographical resources, training programmes, information-sharing and academic properties, and empowerment in the sustainable development of mineral resources.
Regarding the export of minerals and rock materials, he noted that on July 24, 2018, the Sarawak government, NRECC, and 16 state and Federal government agencies signed an agreement on the use of instructions and related work procedures.
“These working instructions and procedures aim to coordinate applications for the export of minerals and rock materials out of Sarawak,” he explained.
Regarding forestry, Awang Tengah emphasised that the Sarawak government is always committed to sustainably managing forest treasures and transforming them into natural habitats for flora and fauna, which are vital to the stability of the global climate.
Through the existing policy, the State is still able to maintain 62 per cent (7.65 million hectares) of forest cover in Sarawak.
“Sarawak is the largest contributor of forest cover in Malaysia which is 42.4 per cent of the 18.05 million hectares of forested areas in Malaysia,” he remarked. — DayakDaily
