Malaysia's Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corp (STIDC) has signed a deal with Dubai's Emirates Trading Agency (ETA) which will see delivery times of timber drop and the middleman cut out of the market. The STIDC signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ETA to help boost the State of Sarawak's timber product sales in this region. Under the deal, ETA plans to set up a warehouse in Dubai in about three to six months. The warehouse will hold a store of Sarawak timber so it is always available for customers from the Gulf, India and Pakistan. "By shipping the product here and storing it, customers will be able to have it quicker and they can also inspect it," said Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud, chief minister of Sarawak. Financial Times Information Ltd - Asia Africa Intelligence Wire Gulf News