KUCHING: Sarawak’s top 10 industries recorded a total approved foreign direct investment (FDI) and domestic direct investment (DDI) of RM3.95 billion in 2010. The FDIs stood at RM3.6 billion and DDIs at RM388 million.
According to the figures released by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) recently, a total of 43 manufacturing projects were approved in the state this year and the projects were expected to create a total of 7,083 employment opportunities.
In terms of investments, basic metal products registered the highest with five projects amounting to RM2.5 billion, followed by electronics and electrical products (RM726 million), petroleum products (RM319 million), transportation equipment (RM101.6 million) and food manufacturing (RM86.2 million).
The other five industries were chemicals and chemical products with investments worth RM76.7 million, wood and wood products (RM55.6 million), machinery manufacturing (RM31.8 million), textiles and textile products (RM5.7 million) and plastic products (RM3.2 million).
Meanwhile, in terms of projects, wood and wood products topped the highest at 12 projects, followed by transportation equipment, chemicals and chemical products, basic metal products, food manufacturing, plastic products and the remaining industries comprised one project each.
The main areas of foreign investments in Sarawak for 2010 were in basic metal products (RM2.5 billion), electronics and electrical products (RM726 million), petroleum products (RM274.3 million), machinery manufacturing RM9.5 million) and transportation equipment (RM7.1 million).
However, the main areas of domestic investments were in transportation equipment worth RM94.5 million, food manufacturing (RM80.9 million), chemicals and chemical products (RM76.7 million), wood and wood products (RM55.1 million) and petroleum products (RM44.7 million).
As at January 2011, a total of two projects were approved in the state with investments amounting to RM187.7 million from basic metal products as well as wood and wood products industries.
In terms of the areas of involvement in the state, Samalaju had the largest share with four projects being approved amounting to RM2.5 billion, while Kidurong Light PH I IE at RM319 million, Sejingkat IE (RM41 million), Kemena PH I (RM36.7 million) and Kota Semerahang IE (RM35.9 million).
Other major towns such as Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri, registered total approved investments of RM776 million, RM71.2 million, RM30.9 million and RM5.7 million respectively.
Ten other industries had been identified as potential investment targets in Sarawak. These industries were glass, steel, palm oil, fishing and aquaculture, livestock, tourism, marine engineering, timber-based, aluminium and oil-based industries.
Compared with other states in the country, Sarawak was ranked among the top five investment destinations totalling to an impressive investment amount of RM29.4 billion from 140 projects between 2006 and 2010. These projects were expected to create a total of 25,488 employment opportunities.
Neighbouring state, Sabah, on the other hand recorded total approved investments of RM16.2 billion during that five-year period with a break down of RM7.2 billion was from DDIs and RM9 billion was from FDIs.