KUCHING, Dec 23: Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) and Pertama Ferroalloys Sdn Bhd have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish bamboo plantation and community programmes in the State.
With the MoU, the two parties intend to establish a technical team to look into setting up a plantation to produce green bamboo for charcoal, collaborate with the community for bamboo contract farming and processing, produce bamboo-based handicrafts products, and provide skills training to enhance the local community in the production of bamboo products.
Deputy Premier of Sarawak Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan who is also the Minister for International Trade and Investment (MINTRED) Sarawak and Second Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development (MUDeNR) Sarawak, witnessed the MoU signing ceremony, which took place at Tokyo, Japan yesterday.
There, he met with Asia Mineral Limited (AML) associate director and AML Japan president Daijiro Murai, the major shareholder of Pertama Ferroalloy Sdn Bhd, and Pertama Ferroalloys Sdn Bhd Board of Directors member and general manager Yuki Nakamura.
Awang Tengah thanked AML for investing in Pertama Ferroalloy in Samalaju Industrial Park and commended the new expansion of Pertama Ferroalloy, which will incorporate more green resources into the manufacturing process.
On the same day, he also went to meet with the Sumitomo Corporation party, where the latter informed that it is exploring investment opportunities in Sarawak by leveraging the green hydropower from Sarawak to produce green fuel and, in turn, manufacture green products.
Following this, Awang Tengah welcomed the investments, which is in line with Sarawak’s Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 and said the Sarawak government would facilitate the matter.
Sumitomo Corporation has a presence in Sarawak through involvement in other projects and is familiar with the comparative advantages that Sarawak has to offer.
Awang Tengah’s delegation included Deputy Minister of International Trade and Investment Datuk Dr Malcolm Mussen Lamoh; MINTRED advisor Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais; MUDeNR permanent secretary Datuk Zaidi Mahdi; Sarawak Land and Survey director Datu Abdullah Julaihi; MINTRED acting permanent secretary Dzulkornain Masron; MINTRED special function officer Datu Liaw Soon Eng; Regional Corridor Development Authority (Recoda) chief executive officer Datu Ismawi Ismuni; STIDC general manager Datu Hashim Bojet; Petroleum Sarawak Berhad’s senior vice president of Corporate Strategy, Abang Arabi Abang Narudin; and Recoda director of Investment Lester Matthew. — DayakDaily
