Nov 17, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. Signs of economic recovery among users of Sarawak timber was starting to be felt by the state timber industry in the 2Q of this year followed by an increase in export value in the 3Q, the Second Minister of Planning and Resource management, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said, as Bernama reported. Awang Tengah, who is also the Minister of Public Utilities, said the export value in the 3Q of this year increased by 6% to RM1.7 billion ($505 million), compared to RM 1.6 billion ($476 million) in the 2Q. "Based on the positive market flow in the second and third quarters of this year, I am confident that Sarawak's timber industry has a high resilience and can continue to recover, although at a moderate rate until the end of this year," he said. He also said that this is evident from the export value of wood products last month which reached a high of RM624 million ($186 million) or an increase of 11% compared to the RM561 million ($167 million) in September. The export value also increased by 7% to 719,000 cubic metres in October this year compared to 669,000 cubic metres in September. Sarawak was also affected by the global economic downturn earlier this year with the total export revenue from January-June this year showing a decrease of 25% to RM3 billion ($892 million) compared to RM4 billion ($1.2 billion) for the same period last year. "Proactive steps taken by the government such as reducing the royalty rate, extending the royalty payment period from 14 days to 90 days, relaxing the timber quota requirement and increasing activities to encourage export, helped the local industry face the economic downturn," he explained. On the downstream timber industry, he said, it had contributed RM8 billion ($2.4 billion) in foreign exchange revenue last year, and this can used as a yardstick to prove the success of sustainable forest management in Sarawak.