2 FEBRUARY 2015

Sarawak Timber & Small and Medium Scale Enterprises’ (SMEs) Expo is coming back for the second time following the success of the maiden expo in 2013. This year’s expo provides 400 exhibition booths at Borneo Convention Centre, Kuching for SMEs from across Sarawak as well as exhibitors from China, Vietnam, Jepara, Brunei and India.

Jointly organised by the Ministry of Industrial Development of Sarawak and STIDC, this expo will be held on 17^th-20^th April 2015 with the theme “Towards Sustainable Industries”.

The expo is a one-stop centre for wood-based industry players and non-timber SMEs to promote their products and strengthen business networking. It is an ideal platform to feature the latest furniture designs and products offered by the industry. It is also an avenue to showcase a wide spectrum of timber products such as plywood, veneer, MDF, flooring, furniture and doors made by local manufacturers. Other local products like food and beverages, health and beauty products, transport and machinery, handicraft, lifestyle products and services, oil and gas by-products, palm oil by-products, etc. will also be on show.

This year’s expo will highlight the House of Acacia and Bamboo Gallery. House of Acacia is part of STIDC’s initiatives to increase awareness on Acacia wood utilisation particularly in furniture industry. STIDC and Samling Housing Products Sendirian Berhad embark on Research and Development on Acacia wood utilisation. Acacia, being a fast growing planted tree species is a renewable and sustainable source of raw materials. Through this initiative, STIDC hopes to make Sarawak the global player and hub for Acacia furniture.

Bamboo Gallery will showcase the bamboo-based products aimed at promoting bamboo utilisation. STIDC and the local agencies plan to cooperate with their Chinese counterparts on Research and Development on bamboo plantation and bamboo product manufacturing in Sarawak. Official visit to China in 2013 had identified potential areas of cooperation for the development of bamboo industry in Sarawak. It is hoped that industry players particularly the wood-based SMEs would explore and tap the potential of bamboo as an alternative source of raw materials.

Wood-based sector remains as the mainstay of the state’s economy with the export earnings grew by 1.3% to RM7.3 billion in 2014 compared to the previous year.

From January to September 2014, the export of wooden furniture had increased by 53% to RM29.9 million compared to RM19.6 million during the corresponding period of the previous year. Sarawak’s wooden furniture exports contributed less than 1% of the national furniture export earnings annually.

The global demand for furniture is huge. Among the countries with immense market potential for furniture exports are the USA, Canada, Japan and India. Worldwide furniture shipments to the USA in 2013 was about USD20 billion, while India furniture market is worth USD8 billion and is growing at a rate of 30% annually. The local furniture manufacturers are urged to move in pace with the government’s efforts in developing this industry towards achieving its global position by 2030.

Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment and Minister of Public Utilities cum Minister of Industrial Development, Datuk Amar Haji Awang Tengah Ali Hasan urged the local furniture manufacturers to collaborate with big industry players in order to enhance their performance. “Currently there no anchor company in furniture manufacturing in Sarawak. This hampers government’s efforts to upgrade furniture performance in the state. STIDC together with the timber companies will build the anchor company”, he said.

SUMMARY

• House of Acacia is part of STIDC’s initiatives to increase awareness on Acacia wood utilisation particularly in furniture industry

• Bamboo Gallery will showcase the bamboo-based products aimed at promoting bamboo utilization

• Wood-based sector remains as the mainstay of the state’s economy with the export earnings grew by 1.3% to RM7.3 billion in 2014