KUCHING: Sarawak is moving towards a sustainable and renewable wood-based industry using materials from forest plantations.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said the materials from forest plantations are used to produce engineered wood, biochar, pulp and paper.
Hence, he called on the Swedish business community to consider collaborating with the Sarawak government in the forestry, forest plantation and wood-based industries.
“Sarawak has a geographical advantage as it is located near large markets with high growth rates such as China, Japan, India, Korea and Australia.
“On the other hand, Business Sweden can seize potential opportunities in Sarawak in areas like research and innovation, digital application in forest management, forest industries for wood structure constructions and human capital development,” he said during a working visit to Sweden.
Earlier, Awang Tengah had a networking session with Business Sweden, an agency promoting Swedish companies to grow in the global market and foreign direct investors to expand business in Sweden.
He was briefed by Swedish Forest Agencies, Swedish Wood Building Council, Ecco Innovation Foundation and Billerud on matters pertaining to the development of forest industries in Sweden.
The industry has a structured mission to achieve a circular bio-based society for Sweden.
At the same session, general manager of Sarawak Planted Forest Sdn Bhd, Paul Valentine, gave an overview of planted forest in Sarawak and opportunities for future collaborations and investments for the Swedish business communities in digital technology, mechanisation for planted forest harvesting and production of high value-added products such as pulp, paper, engineered wood and biomass fuel.
Business Sweden in collaboration with the industries and agencies will continue to engage in dialogues with Sarawak to identify areas of common interest to be considered and implemented in the future.
