The Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) was appointed as the lead Agency by the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC) to lead the coordination for the participation of all non-food agri-commodity agencies and councils at Expo 2020 Dubai for Week 17 from 23-29 January 2022.
MPIC Minister YB Datuk Hajah Zuraida Kamaruddin officially launched Week 17 with its theme “Sustainable Agri-commodity” on 24 January 2022.
MTC had a series of activities lined-up for the week which included programme launches, MoU signing, pocket talks and B2B sessions.
A soft launch was held for MTC’s TimbeReality which is a dedicated VR platform that displays Malaysian-made timber and furniture products which buyers can visit.
The programme was conceived at a time when timber-based manufactures could not showcase their products physically to the world since the onset of the pandemic.
MTC also launched the Forest Beyond Timber video that narrates how Malaysia protects and conserves its forest and the green practices embraced by the Malaysian timber-based manufacturers.
A soft launch was also held for the Malaysian Wood Expo (MWE) 2022 which is an international wood and woodworking machinery exhibition. Since its inception in 2019, MWE had garnered much momentum as a platform for top exhibitors to gather, source for products and network. This year, both buyers and visitors will see a bigger and better version on MWE.
The strategic location of the Sharjah Port in the Middle East led to a MoU signing between the port authorities and the Timber Exporters’ Association of Malaysia (TEAM).
The knowledge of timber utilisation from the perspective of architects and interior designers was shared during the Timber Talk session by speakers Prof. Dr. Ar. Jimmy Lim, a multiple award-winning architect including the coveted Aga Khan Award for Architectural Excellence; Prof Dr. Azizi Bahauddin of the School of Housing, Building & Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia; and Mr. Lim Yi Syuen, Senior Vice-President from Pine Horizon Sdn. Bhd.
Malaysia’s foray into the Middle East market and insights into the Malaysian timber industry as well as its revival from the pandemic was highlighted by the Director of the International Business Development Division - Cluster 2 (South Asia, Middle East & Africa) Mr. Khairul Anwar in his talk titled “Malaysia’s Timber Journey to the Arab World”.
MTC also organised two B2B sessions as well as several video screenings. MTC did not go unnoticed in the UAE as the local media interviewed MTC Chairman Madam Hajah Norrida Yusoff, MTC CEO Mr. Muhtar Suhaili and Mr. Khairul.
