ID :
28425
Tue, 11/04/2008 - 21:04
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/28425
The shortlink copeid
EXPORTS OF TIMBER & TIMBER PRODUCTS MAY SEE DECLINE THIS YEAR
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's exports of timber and timber
products may see a decline this year due to the current global economic
slowdown, Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Senator A.
Kohilan Pillay said Tuesday.
He said outlook for the industry would depend on demand from major markets
like Japan, Europe and the United States.
"In 2007, the export of timber and timber products totalled RM22.65 billion
(US$6.4 billion). Of the total, wooden furniture exports accounted for 29.3
percent of the total value while plywood contributed RM6.3 billion (US$1.8
billion) or 27.7 percent to total revenue earned from timber," Kohilan said at a
press conference after the opening ceremony for the Industrial Automation and
Mechanisation in Timber Industry Seminar.
For the first eights months of this year, the exports of timber and timber
products amounted to RM14.9 billion (US$4.1 billion), he said.
Kohilan said the timber sector contributed five percent of the country's
gross domestic product (GDP) and provided employment opportunities to over
300,000 people.
"Amid the developments, the government is considering several initiatives
to stem dependence on foreign labour," he said.
In this regard, the government was considering proposals to gradually
reduce the current level of foreign labour of 2.16 million to about 1.53 million
in 2015, Kohilan said.
"In the manufacturing sector, the target is to reduce the figure for
foreign labour from 740,600 in 2008 to a manageable level of 313,600 in 2015,"
he said.
"While there is no denying that foreign labour has contributed
significantly to our growth, it has also brought several matters of social and
economic concerns to the government," he added.
One of the initiatives being considered to reduce foreign labour was to
encourage the manufacturing sector to employ mechanisation and automation in
production operations, Kohilan said.
"My ministry is also undertaking several initiatives to entice youths to be
interested to pursue careers in the wood-based industry," he said.
Malaysian Timber Industry Board's director-general Mohd Nazuri Hashim Shah
said the board has structured training programmes for school leavers and
graduates to provide them with necessary technical as well as supervisory and
managerial skills for immediate employment by the industry.
-- BERNAMA
products may see a decline this year due to the current global economic
slowdown, Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Senator A.
Kohilan Pillay said Tuesday.
He said outlook for the industry would depend on demand from major markets
like Japan, Europe and the United States.
"In 2007, the export of timber and timber products totalled RM22.65 billion
(US$6.4 billion). Of the total, wooden furniture exports accounted for 29.3
percent of the total value while plywood contributed RM6.3 billion (US$1.8
billion) or 27.7 percent to total revenue earned from timber," Kohilan said at a
press conference after the opening ceremony for the Industrial Automation and
Mechanisation in Timber Industry Seminar.
For the first eights months of this year, the exports of timber and timber
products amounted to RM14.9 billion (US$4.1 billion), he said.
Kohilan said the timber sector contributed five percent of the country's
gross domestic product (GDP) and provided employment opportunities to over
300,000 people.
"Amid the developments, the government is considering several initiatives
to stem dependence on foreign labour," he said.
In this regard, the government was considering proposals to gradually
reduce the current level of foreign labour of 2.16 million to about 1.53 million
in 2015, Kohilan said.
"In the manufacturing sector, the target is to reduce the figure for
foreign labour from 740,600 in 2008 to a manageable level of 313,600 in 2015,"
he said.
"While there is no denying that foreign labour has contributed
significantly to our growth, it has also brought several matters of social and
economic concerns to the government," he added.
One of the initiatives being considered to reduce foreign labour was to
encourage the manufacturing sector to employ mechanisation and automation in
production operations, Kohilan said.
"My ministry is also undertaking several initiatives to entice youths to be
interested to pursue careers in the wood-based industry," he said.
Malaysian Timber Industry Board's director-general Mohd Nazuri Hashim Shah
said the board has structured training programmes for school leavers and
graduates to provide them with necessary technical as well as supervisory and
managerial skills for immediate employment by the industry.
-- BERNAMA
