(From left) Plantations Ministry Deputy Head of Secretaries Zurina Pawanteh, Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy Minister Datuk Datu Nasrun Datu Mansur, Mah, Malaysian Timber Council chairman Datuk Gooi Hoe Hin, and Malaysian Timber Council chief executive officer Datuk Dr Abdul Rahim Nik pose for a photo after launching the MTC’s 25th anniversary dinner on Wednesday night.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s timber and timber product exports rose 6.76 per cent to RM9.75 billion in the first five months of this year compared with the same period a year ago, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong said.
He said the timber industry was one of the major contributors to the nation’s export earnings, recording between RM20 billion and RM22 billion in revenue annually over the past 10 years.
“This proves the significance of the timber industry as a consistent contributor to the nation’s earnings.
“We hope that by end of this year, we can achieve a growth of five per cent which is equivalent to RM23 billion in total,” he said at the Malaysian Timber Council’s 25th anniversary dinner here on Wednesday.
Furniture dominated the export earnings for the first five months of this year at RM3.28 billion followed by plywood (RM1.96 billion) and sawn timber (RM1.6 billion).
Mah urged timber industry players to embrace the fourth industrial revolution (industry 4.0) initiative undertaken by the government by integrating the principles of the industry into business.
He said the ministry would review the National Timber Industry Policy (NATIP) to redirect the course and strategic policies of the industry to fit into the current situation.
The review that will be conducted for the first time since NATIP’s implementation in 2009 will involve stakeholders, skilled manpower, innovation and technology, as well as sustainability.
“With the latest global development, we need to look into various aspects which include technology and connectivity, as well as policy issues,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Wood Awards, which was an important event in MTC’s anniversary calendar, had two segments – the main awards for the professionals and a students’ category.
Entrants of the professional section in the main Malaysian Wood Awards competed in two categories – Residential and Public/Commercial while the Students’ Challenge, which is the student category, engaged undergraduates to design with timber either for the Building or Non-Building category. Only undergraduates from Part 1 of Architectural programmes accredited by The Board of Architects Malaysia were allowed to take part.
The winners of the professional section of the Residential category are B&A Family Holdings Sdn Bhd which won the first prize for its Kuang Retreat House. The second prize winner is Ar Azman Zainal Md Nor for his house called Anjung Kelana while the third prize winner is Ding Siew Ching for Bintang Residence.
Winners of the Public/Commercial Category are the Terengganu State Museum for its Rumah Haji Wan Su which won the first prize. The Malaysian Timber Industry Board’s Galeri Glulam took home the second prize while the third prize went to Paramount Property (Cjaya) Sdn Bhd for its Chengal House.
The winners of the Students’ Challenge’s Building category are Muhammad Aizat Anuar from UTM, who won the first prize for his Taman University Cookies Community Centre while the second prize winner is Lam Yung Ni from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology for her creation of the Eco-water Edge Centre – A Timber Forest. The third prize winner is Ooi Wei Kiat of Universiti Malaya for his design of the Rainforest Music School.
The winners of the Non-Building category of the Students’ Challenge are Luqman Hariz Shaarani from UiTM Puncak Alam for his fascinating creation of the “Medusa Pavilion” which won the first prize. The second prize winner is Muhammad Syafiq Mohamed Karim (UiTM Puncak Alam) for his design of “The Beautiful Curse” while the third prize winner is Aimi Adelina Azman (UiTM Puncak Alam) for her creation of the “Dwelling For Two”.
An initiative taken by MTC, the MWA was organized in collaboration with the Malaysian Institute of Architects.
MTC began its year-long jubilee celebration with the launch of its 25th anniversary tagline – Engage, Connect, Grow. — Bernama