Malaysian Sabah region will no longer export raw logs and sawn timber

Jul 08, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. Malaysian Sabah region is stopping the export of round logs and sawn timber to encourage downstream processing. The move is to ensure jobs for its growing population, as reported by Malaysian newspaper The Star. “The days of exporting raw logs and sawn timber are gone,” Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman declared when launching a 12,000 ha rubber forest plantation project in the interior Sook district, some 250 km from the city. “We must value add our products and create definitive brands that Sabah and Malaysia can be proud of.” The six-year rubber forest project is jointly undertaken by Bornion Timber Sdn Bhd and China-based Guangdong Guangken Rubber Group. It is part of a 25,000 ha forest management unit (FMU) assigned to Bornion Timber, which is also undertaking industrial tree plantations, such as acacia. Musa said tree plantations would figure prominently as raw material supplier to Sabah’s downstream timber processing sector, like furniture making. The timber processing sector had the potential to become as important as the state’s palm oil industry, he added. Musa said FMUs were part of the state’s efforts to develop and manage forest resources through sustainable management of existing natural forests and rehabilitation of heavily logged forests into tree plantations. These ventures must, however, benefit local communities economically and raise their living standards, he stressed. Musa said rubber forest plantations spelt an added advantage, as the trees would initially yield latex for rubber products and later be harvested for their wood. “FMU holders must work with researchers in local universities and other institutions to come up with new end products that will attract not only buyers from Malaysia but also internationally,” he added.