KUCHING: Sarawak Furniture Industry Association (SFIA) is aiming to nurture 200 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 65 furniture vendors by 2030 under the SME development programme.
According to a press release by Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (PUSAKA) on March 23, the initiative aims to help at least 30 SMEs and five Bumiputera vendors to become global market players.
It is said that Sarawak is recognised as one of the largest suppliers of semi-finished tropical timber products in the world.
“However, most of the furniture manufacturing activities in the region are cottage industry, labour-oriented and home-based for the domestic market.
“According to SFIA, local furniture manufacturers are struggling with issues such as a shortage of raw materials and skilled manpower, as well as difficulties in securing financing for business expansion.
“To address these challenges, the Sarawak government is taking various initiatives, including the establishment of furniture parks in Kuching and Tanjung Manis through collaboration with industry players.
The furniture parks have the potential to generate RM500 million in investments.
In addition, a furniture testing lab is currently under construction at Kota Samarahan to provide services to local furniture manufacturers and to ensure compliance with global market standards for both local and export markets.
These initiatives are part of the Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030), which identifies the furniture industry as one of the important economic sectors to drive Sarawak to a developed state by generating RM4 billion in export revenue by 2030.
“Furniture manufacturing is the fastest growing sub-sector within the wood-based industry in Malaysia, with the country ranked as the world’s twelfth largest exporter and recognised as a producer of high-quality wooden furniture in 2020.
“However, the number of medium-sized manufacturers with modern production technology in Sarawak is relatively low.”
With the implementation of the PCDS 2030 and various initiatives, the Sarawak government hopes to develop competitive and world-class furniture entrepreneurs to penetrate export markets and generate economic
Furthermore, through these initiatives, Sarawak hopes to chart a new dimension in helping SMEs, including Bumiputera furniture vendors, to scale new heights and penetrate export markets, thus contributing to the growth of the furniture industry and the state’s economy.
Malaysia was recognized as a producer of high-quality wooden furniture and ranked the world’s twelfth largest exporter in 2020. Most of the furniture manufacturing activities are located in Johor, Selangor, and Perak.
