THE Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) is aiming to cultivate at least 30,000 hectares of bamboo plantations across the state by 2030, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
“As of April this year, approximately 4,900 hectares of bamboo have already been planted by 17 commercial companies and 200 community participants,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) today.
To accelerate the effort, Awang Tengah said STIDC signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last year with several key partners, Malaysian Community Care Foundation Resources Sdn Bhd, Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad, Pertama Ferroalloys Sdn Bhd, and the Bintulu Development Authority (BDA) to develop 10,000 hectares of bamboo plantations, particularly in areas that can support commercial-scale operations.
To further strengthen the industry, he added that several local and international companies have shown interest in investing in downstream activities to produce high-value bamboo-based products such as tissue paper, packaging materials, textiles, and biochar.
