By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Feb 13: The Sarawak government intends to increase the export of value-added products such as furniture to RM6 billion, or 75 per cent of total export earnings from timber and timber products of RM8 billion.
Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg stated this at Sarawak Design Week 2023, which was held today at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here.
“By 2030, the Sarawak government aims to increase the export of value-added products which include furniture to RM6 billion (USD1.5 billion) or 75 per cent of total export earnings from timber and timber products worth RM8 billion (USD2 billion).
“This can be achieved by having a well-structured timber industry. Having a group of highly skilled and talented furniture designers trained under this programme who are readily available and marketable will be able to boost the growth of the furniture industry in Sarawak,” Abang Johari said.
He noted that export value for furniture remains low, with Sarawak exporting a total of RM3.1 billion in timber and timber products globally from January to September 2022.
“Of this total, RM2.8 billion were exports of plywood and other primary products. Furniture exports registered only RM44 million which is only 1.4 per cent of the total export value.
“It is now RM44 million. Can you reach RM6 billion in the next seven years? And we must also upgrade both our technology and our human capital’s creativity.
“If other countries can transform and leapfrog, I’m confident that our young designers can as well,” he added.
Furthermore, Abang Johari emphasised that the Sarawak government wants the timber industry to be transformed by developing downstream of its timber resources, which is consistent with Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 of value-addition to stimulate the local economy.
Among those present were Deputy Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) general manager Datu Hashim Bojet, Sarawak Design Centre (Saradec) chairman Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais, and Saradec chief executive officer Dayang Nena Abang Bruce. — DayakDaily
