The Malaysian Timber Council has moved to strengthen its partnership with the Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) and Kayusar Plywood in Kuching in a bid to support the country’s wood-based industry growth.
MTC CEO Noraihan Abdul Rahman has acknowledged that STIDC has clear plans to improve Sarawak’s wood-based sector’s upstream and downstream sectors.
“We hope to see greater cooperation between industry players in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak to advance this industry,” she said on a visit to the Kayusar plywood plant, adding that the visit highlighted the strong partnership and collaborative efforts to boost Malaysia’s wood-based and bamboo industries.
STIDC general manager Zainal Abidin Abdullah gave the visitors a clear overview of the corporation’s goals and activities. He said STIDC aimed to transform and modernise the timber industry, with the goal of increasing export earnings to US $28,859,000 by 2030.
This goal is part of the post-COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030, which includes several key initiatives by STIDC, including the development of the bamboo industry.
Significant investments have been made to explore various uses for bamboo, including bicycles, biomass, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, textiles, food, furniture, handicrafts, and biochar.
Central to these efforts is the Sabal Bamboo Nursery, which produces 45,000 seedlings each year, and the Tanjung Manis Bamboo Nursery, which produces 450,000 seedlings annually.
The STIDC Bamboo Community Project involved 146 participants and covers more than 63 ha, while commercial bamboo plantations have expanded to 3597 ha across Sarawak.
STIDC’s vision goes beyond bamboo. Recent projects include:
- Developing the engineered wood industry.
- Exploring carbon trading.
- Supporting small and medium-sized businesses.
STIDC’s ambitious plans, including modernising the timber industry and expanding bamboo utilisation, aimed to enhance Sarawak’s export earnings and industry growth significantly.
Malaysian timber giant Samling recently signed an MOU with Australian-based Loggo IP Pty Ltd, expanding mass timber building systems across the Asia-Pacific region.
The partnership will see Samling use patented technology to deliver engineered flooring solutions on a scale.
Demand for timber across the Asia-Pacific is surging, primarily driven by demand for low-cost housing in emerging economies. The MOU is an essential step in meeting that demand.
Samling CEO Larence Chia wants to establish a pilot program before expanding production: “We are working together on a pilot project in Sarawak using patented engineered wood technology focused on a burgeoning forest recovery industry to develop small-diameter true rounds or peeler cores.”
