MUMBAI, June 29 — The Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB) and Malaysian Timber Association will produce a reference booklet on timber names in Malaysia for use by timber merchants across the globe.
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said Indian timber bodies have raised issues on the information gap about the names of timber species from Malaysia.
"I think the main reason is, in Malaysia we call them with different names which they don't understand. The booklet will be the reference and I hope it will close the gap," he told Bernama after chairing a roundtable discussion between Malaysian timber bodies and representatives of Indian importers.
The discussion was attended by MTIB, MTC, Bombay Timber Merchant Association Ltd, Association of Manufacturers and Traders of India and Timber Importers Association Ltd.
Uggah said the Indian representatives requested to visit Malaysia to fimiliarise themselves with the suppliers, timber types and related matters.
"I will get the MTC to look into that because overall, the Indian market is very big while our share of their timber market is still very low. There is a potential to increase the market share, and I think it can be increased by having this kind of dialogue.
"I am confident that the ministry and government agencies will play their roles to make sure that various issues that can slow down the trade between the two countries in timber can be resolved," he added.
India is an important market for Malaysia's timber and timber products, ranking third after Japan and the United States, with exports to India amounting to US$485 million in 2013, an increase of 3.7 per cent over the previous year.
Logs accounted for almost three quarters of total exports (US$354.5 million), followed by wooden furniture (US$34.5 million), builders' carpentry and joinery (US$18 million), particleboard (US$15 million) and plywood (US$7.4 million).
Last year, the Malaysian timber industry contributed 2.5 per cent to the gross domestic product, with US$6.2 billion in export earnings and providing up to 300,000 jobs. — Bernama
