timber VO L . 22 NO. 3 2016 ISSN 1394-6196 malaysiaPublished by Malaysian Timber Council New Minister and Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities MTC dialogue with timber association members Sporting excellence with KTL floors Cover Story MTC-PJC to build Malaysia’s longest Glulam bridge 2 EDITORIAL Vol. 22 No. 3 Timber Malaysia Dear Readers, His Hon. Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong Council’s programmes and activities are in has been appointed the new Minister of tune with the industry’s expectations and Plantation Industries and Commodities. requirements (turn to page 4). He replaces His Hon. Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas who is now a Deputy Chief Under SPOTLIGHT, we highlight the HMinister in his home state of Sarawak. journey of Kim Teck Lee (KTL), a We congratulate Datuk Seri Mah on his timber-based company that started off appointment and, at the same time, thank in the mid-sixties as a sawmill but has Datuk Amar Douglas for his stewardship diversified over the past half century into during his tenure as Minister of Plantation a leading manufacturer and exporter of Industries and Commodities. Among the value added timber products including many issues that had always remained high mouldings, lam parquet and prefinished on Datuk Amar Douglas’s agenda were flooring. The most successful yet is their the Malaysia-EU FLEGT-VPA negotiations, range of high quality sports flooring which when completed will ensure a which has taken the world by storm with ‘green’ lane for Malaysia’s timber exports import orders coming from Europe, the to EU countries. Another priority policy Americas, Middle East, Africa, Far East, execution under Datuk Amar Douglas’s Australasia as well as markets closer to administration were the strategies that he home. For an interesting read on KTL, turn had put in place to ensure that the timber to pages 19-21. industry achieves RM53 billion in timber PAGE 19 and timber product exports by the year In FOR THE LOVE OF WOOD, we feature 2020, a target of the National Timber Desa Balqis, a realization of one man’s SPOTLIGHT Industry Policy. MTC wishes Datuk Amar endeavour to build a cluster of family Sporting excellence with KTL floors Douglas well in his new role, and looks homes on a piece of land by the sea. forward to working closely with Datuk Seri Having found an ideal plot in Kuala Linggi, Mah as well as his newly appointed Deputy, Melaka in 2006, Anwar Ismail began TIMBER MALAYSIA is published by the Malaysian His. Hon. Datuk Datu Nasrun Datu Mansur, to piece together his dream “village” Timber Council (MTC). It is distributed to over on strengthening and implementing consisting of traditional Malay timber 8,000 individuals and timber-related companies, agencies and organisations in more than 110 policies towards facilitating the timber houses. Two years later, the first house countries. industry’s progressive and sustainable known as Rumah Pak Long or Uncle’s MTC holds the copyright to all its contents, unless growth (see page 2). House was erected. The other houses built otherwise stated. No part of this publication may after that had names like Rumah Nenek be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by This year’s MTC’s annual dialogue with the (grandmother), Rumah Mama (mother), any means, without prior written permission from MTC. timber industry was held from 23-25 May. Rumah Atuk (grandfather) and Rumah Many important issues were discussed, Adik and Kakak (siblings). Let us take For feedback, subscription, article contribution and/or advertising, please write to: with specific emphasis on ways towards you on a visual tour of Anwar’s exquisite [email protected]. strengthening the timber industry’s village cum resort that showcases 18 Editorial Team manufacturing base, increasing its raw houses of different designs sourced and Andrew Kong material sources and expanding its global relocated from various parts of Melaka Vijaya Kasinathan Kuraibah Zakaria market outreach, all of which necessitate and neighbouring Negeri Sembilan close interaction and consultation between (pages 22-25). MTC and the respective industry sectors. Based on the information gathered at the Happy reading! dialogue, MTC conducted a roadshow in July this year to different states in Peninsular Malaysia for further consultation The Editor. with the industry. This is to ensure that the MTC HQ, Malaysia MTC’S FAIR PARTICIPATION AND EVENT T +60 3 9281 1999 CALENDAR FOR JULY – SEPTEMBER 2016 F +60 3 9282 8999 E [email protected] MTC London, UK ARCHIDEX T +44 207 222 8188 20-23 July, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia F +44 207 222 8884 E [email protected] Iran Confair MTC Dubai, UAE 12-15 August, Tehran, Iran T +971 4 4279 823 F +971 4 4508 233 Marketing Mission to India E [email protected] 21-27 August, Chennai and Bangalore, China MTC Guangzhou, P.R. China T +86 20 3877 3019 SPOGA+GAFA F +86 20 3877 3091 4-6 September, Cologne, Germany E [email protected] Furniture China www.mtc.com.my 8-11 September, Shanghai, China For further information, please contact MTC’s Market Promotion Division and Industry Development Division PAGES 22-25 FOR THE LOVE OF WOOD Desa Balqis Resort NEWS 2 New Minister and Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities 3 MTC-PJC to build Malaysia’s longest Glulam bridge 4 MTC dialogue with timber association members 5 MATRADE-MTC collaboration in promoting Malaysian timber 5 New Director for MTC Dubai 6 MTC-MTIB to strengthen working relationship 2 6 Briefing on GST 7 Visit by delegation from Vietnam, Thailand and Congo 7 MTC Timber Talk 8 Malaysia to host international Rainforest Summit 8 Guangxi investors see potential in Malaysian timber sector 10 MTC to launch Malaysian Wood Awards 12 More visitors, better sales at MIFF and EFE 2016 MARKET PROMOTION 13 CHINA - Enhancing China-ASEAN bilateral trade ties 14 MALAYSIA - ASEAN a huge market yet to be fully tapped, says MATRADE 4 15 FRANCE - Carrefour du Bois 15 CHINA - Sylvawood SPOTLIGHT 16 MTC: Premier agency in promoting Malaysian timber products globally 19 Sporting excellence with KTL floors FOR THE LOVE OF WOOD 22 Desa Balqis Resort – Old and gorgeous 5 GREEN GROWTH LET’S GO ECO! 26 5,000 mangrove saplings for Tanjung Piai National Park 26 Preserving the mangroves of Kuala Selangor Nature Park FloRA & FAUNA 27 Hoyas of Borneo AT ONE WITH NATURE 28 Belum-Temenggor Forest Complex – Malaysia’s largest and oldest forest reserve 28 2 NEWS Vol. 22 No. 3 Timber Malaysia New Minister and Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, and Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry. Datuk Seri Mah holds a LLB (Hon) from the University of East London, B.Sc Mgt. Science from the London School of Economics and an MBA (Manufacturing) from City University, London. “It is a great privilege and responsibility to be taking on the role of Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister and I thank the Prime Minister for putting his confidence in me. I realise my appointment comes with important responsibilities and I pledge to do my best to further the cause of plantations and commodities in Malaysia and look forward to this new role,” said Datuk Seri Mah who hails from Teluk Intan, Perak where he is also the Member of Parliament. Appointed as Datuk Seri Mah’s deputy is His Honourable Datuk Datu Nasrun Datu Mansur. Born in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Datuk Photo credit: MPIC credit: Photo Datu Nasrun, 64, was a two-term State Assemblyman for Datuk Seri Mah arriving to assume his new portfolio at the Ministry Lahad Datu, having been first elected to the seat in 2004 and of Plantation Industries and Commodities in Putrajaya. On hand to retaining it in 2008. He is the current Member of Parliament for receive him are Datuk Datu Nasrun (centre) and the Ministry’s Secretary General, Datuk M. Nagarajan (right). Silam in Sabah. “I am thankful for the trust given by the Prime Minister in His Honourable Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong has been appointing me to this position,” said Datuk Datu Nasrun, appointed the Minister of Plantation Industries and adding that he will adhere to the directives of the Prime Commodities in a Cabinet reshuffle announced by the Right Minister, including the scope of work and duties that he will be Honourable Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on 27 responsible for following the appointment. June 2016. H MTC congratulates Datuk Seri Mah and Datuk Datu Nasrun on Datuk Seri Mah, 55, was a Minister in the Prime Minister’s their new appointments and looks forward to their guidance Department prior to this appointment. Among the positions and leadership in bringing the Malaysian timber industry to that he had also previously held were Deputy Minister of even greater heights. Congratulations Heartiest congratulations to YB Dato’ Sri Wee Jeck Seng Chairman of the Malaysian Timber Council and Member of Parliament for Tanjong Piai on being conferred the Darjah Kebesaran Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang, Yang Amat Di Mulia - Peringkat Pertama, Sri Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang (S.S.A.P.) award which carries the title Dato’ Sri by His Majesty Sultan of Pahang Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mu’adzam Shah in conjunction with His Royal Highness’s 85th Birthday on 28 July 2016 From Board of Trustees, Chief Executive Officer, Management and Staff of the Malaysian Timber Council NEWS Vol. 22 No. 3 Timber Malaysia 3 MTC-PJC to build Malaysia’s longest Glulam bridge An artist impression of the Glulam bridge.