Dutch Delegation Observes Sustainable Forest Management Practices At Malaysia's Temerloh

KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 (Bernama) -- A Dutch delegation on Friday visited the Lakum Forest Reserve at Temerloh in Malaysia's east coast state of Pahang, to observe sustainable forest management practices there. The delegation was led by Dutch Minister of Agriculture Sharon Dijksma and the country's Ambassador to Malaysia, Harry Molenaar. The visit was jointly hosted by the Pahang State Forestry Department and the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC). Pahang State Forestry Department Deputy Director (Operations) Lim Kee Leng said the field trip was part of a two-day official visit by the Dutch minister in conjunction with the second meeting of the Malaysia-Netherlands Joint Working Group on timber and commodities on July 7 in Kuala Lumpur. "One item on the agenda was the full acceptance of the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) under the Dutch Procurement Policy for sustainable timber," he said in a statement Friday. MTCC chief executive officer Yong Teng Koon said the organisation had the first tropical timber certification scheme in the Asia Pacific to be endorsed by the Swiss-based Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certificate (PEFC). "As a national certification scheme, the MTCS is committed to promoting sustainable forest management. "This is to ensure our natural resources are responsibly managed, while remaining economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally sound for generations to come," he added. In 2014, Malaysia's exports of timber and timber products to the Netherlands was valued at US$105.38 million (RM398.9 million), an increase of 32 per cent from US$79.82 million (RM302.16) million in 2013. Other commodities exported, include palm oil and palm-based products valued at US$1.87 billion (RM7.09 billion), rubber and rubber products valued at US$68.44 million (RM259.04 million) and cocoa and cocoa products at US$13.45 million (RM50.91 million). --BERNAMA