Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg at the official opening of the Sarawak Timber and Small and Medium Entrepreneurs expo in Kuching.
He said the export of timber and timber products is the fourth largest contributor to the state’s export earnings after liquified natural gas , petroleum and palm oil.Therefore, he said the state government has made it mandatory for all long-term forest timber licence-holders to obtain the forest management certification by 2022.
“This initiative not only widens market access and acceptance for our timber products but also enhances the state’s image globally in terms of forest management,” he said. The development of local processing industries would continue to grow and the competition for timber resources would become more severe in the future.