By Isabelle Francis
The Malaysian Furniture Industry Council (MFIC) has lauded the government’s move to extend the ban on sawn


rubberwood exports to include those in the form of finger-jointed sawn rubberwood timber.

The ban effective Aug 11, now involved four varieties of rubberwood, was imposed by the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities.

MFIC in a statement yesterday said the ban was timely as the local furniture manufacturers were finding it difficult to get rubberwood supply due to the high demand for the commodity.

Last year, Malaysia exported RM7 billion worth of furniture with 80% were rubberwood-based.

“The industry is mindful of the various challenges and difficulties ahead and has reconciled to the fact that one of the major challenges is that the era of low-priced and abundant timber resources were over, MFIC president Richard Lee said.

Lee said the council also commended the ministry’s plans to establish 375,000ha of forest plantation of which half of it would be planted with rubber trees, over the next 15 years, to overcome the shortage of rubberwood.

Lee also urged the industry players to be alert of competitors and continuously improve the quality of their products by utilising the various programmes and incentives available in the market.

“It is also imperative that the industry take on a strategic direction and approach to increase its current market share,” he said.