Wood furniture exports hit RM3.25 billion in 1H12

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KOTA KINABALU: The country’s wood furniture exports for the first half of this year (1H12) hit RM3.25 billion, up 11.3 per cent over the same period last year.

Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said Malaysia was now the world’s eighth largest furniture exporter, with wood furniture accounting for 31 per cent of the country’s exports of wood products last year valued at RM6.2 billion.

The main markets for wood furniture last year were the US (RM1.8 billion), Japan (RM775 million) and Australia (RM418 million), although the local market, worth some RM13 billion, is also significant, he said in his speech at the seminar on ‘Sabah: A Potential Hub For Outdoor Furniture’ here yesterday. The seminar was launched by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.

Dompok said of the nation’s wood furnitire exports last year, Peninsular Malaysia accounted for RM6.13 billion (98.9 per cent), with Sabah contributing RM43.1 million (0.7 per cent) and Sarawak RM29.0 million (0.5 per cent).

Of the country’s 2,260 wood furniture manufacturers, only 29 or 1.3 per cent are in Sabah, although the state, with its abundant raw materials and manpower, has huge potential to raise its export share, he added. — Bernama