KUCHING, Jan 22 — Sarawak’s total export value of timber and timber products dropped from RM3.9 billion in 2022 to RM3.1 billion in 2023, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said tonight.
He said the export value of logs was RM559 million or 18 per cent of the overall export value while the export of timber products was RM2.6 billion.
“For Sarawak, Japan is still the largest market contributing about 53 per cent or RM1.7 billion export earnings in 2023,” he said in his speech at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) and Malaysian Panel-Products Manufactures’ Association.
His speech was read by Deputy Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datuk Len Talif Salleh.
Awang Tengah, who is also the second minister for natural resources and urban development, said plywood remains the main product produced with an export value of RM1.5 billion, contributing about 48 per cent of the total export earnings.
“It appears that the primary products are still the main timber products for export,” he said, urging the timber players to transform their activities and operations towards production of high-value-added products by utilising raw materials from planted forests.
He said the state government will continue to strengthen the downstream industry to include biomass, furniture, bamboo and engineered wood.
He added biomass products have huge potential in the establishment of a green economy in Sarawak.
He said biomass products like wood pellets, biochar and charcoal briquettes have massive demand in the global market due to being environmentally friendly.
He said Sarawak has exported wood pellets to Japan, France and Korea at an export value of RM36 million.
Awang Tengah said STIDC has prepared its proposal on Engineered Wood Product Blueprint which will be tabled at its board meeting tomorrow morning for approval.
“This important document provides guidelines and a way forward for the timber industry in Sarawak insofar as the engineered wood industry is concerned,” he said.
He said another initiative by STIDC is developing the bamboo industry in Sarawak.
He said the global export value of bamboo products in 2022 was US$66.2 billion (RM312 billion) and estimated to increase by 4 per cent annually.
Awang Tengah said Malaysia’s export value of bamboo products for 2022 is RM8.4 million while in Sarawak the market value is RM1.2 million.
He said he believes that there is a huge potential in biomass, engineered wood and bamboo industries that must be tapped as a game changer and landscape transformation for the timber industry in Sarawak.
The MoU related to Forest Management, Practices and Research and Development (R&D) in licenced planted forests and on-job training and placement in the timber industry.
