Source : The Boeneo Post
Date : 7th August 1993
Dateline : Kuala Lumpur
Byline : Bernama (Malaysia's official news agency)
MTIDC TO COUNTER ANTI-TROPICAL TIMBER CAMPAIGN : KENG YAIK
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KUALA LUMPUR, Fri. - The Ministry of Primary Industries has recently
directed the Malaysian Timber Industrial Development Council (MTIDC) to
establish an office in the United Kingdom to coordinate efforts to counter
the anti-tropical timber campaign, particularly from the European
Community.
Its ministerr, Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik said towards this end, the
contribution to the funds facilitating MTIDC to undertake its role
successfully must be forthcoming from all sectors of the wood-based
industries.
"The battle to counter the anti-tropical timber sentiment must be pursued
continuously", he said when delivering his speech at the Malaysian Panel
Manufacturers' Association annual dinner here last night.
He added apart from other major tropical timbe producers including Malaysia,
other non-tropical forests should also contribute towards the world
environment stability. "Policies and mesures proposed for the management of
tropical foests should not be discriminatory and imposed only on topical
forests", said Dr Lim.
He added that this message had to be drummed in both at official and
business fora so that provisions of a successor to the International
Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA) would encompass temperate and boreal
forests as well.
Dr Lim said the forestry and timber sector was now a major component in the
Malaysian economy, just next to petroleum and gas as the leading export
earner in the primary commodity sector, accounting for RM$10.4 billion or 29
percent of the county's total commodity export earnings in 1992.
He added, exports of plywood from the first quarter of 1993 had already
reached RM450 million, an increase of 50 percent over the volume exported in
the corresponding period in 1992.
With the current situation prevailing in the exports of plywood, the
recognition of the plywood sector into the RM1 billion club attained two
years ago when its export reached more than a billion ringgit, was set to
remain, said Dr Lim.
However he added, due to the current buoyant market, manufacturers were
urged not to take advantage of the situation to act irresponsibly by
accepting orders but not fulfilling them when prices move upwards.
Malaysian manufacturers must always maintain the good name of being reliable
suppliers of plywood to the world, he said adding that they should also
strive harder towards improving recovery and improving the present
utilisation of small diameter logs.
"In order to remain competitive, I strongly urged those plywood mills which
have yet to modernise their operations to do so urgently", he said.
Besides several value added products such as wire mesh plywood, furniture
and laminated veneer lumber, which were starting to come on stream from the
plywood factory, Dr Lim also said the industry's effort at market
diversification had also started to show results with the Asia Pacific
Region emerging as an important market. -- BERNAMA.
--- * Origin: Asia Pacific Solidarity - Sarawak (90:600/108)--