Sarawak,Malaysia:President of the Sarawak Furniture Industry Association(SFIA),Lai King Min,believes that"the shortage of raw materials must be resolved before progress could be made in the Sarawak furniture industry."Mr Lai was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Furniture and Home Expo 2012,at Bukit Mata exhibition hall.

He added the Sarawak furniture industry is very much behind West Malaysia and Sabah in the export market.

"Why is it so difficult to expand the furniture industry in Sarawak?Although Sarawak is a leading producer of timber,most of this timber is exported to other countries.What remains is a very limited supply of raw material,most of which is low-grade timber which fails to reach the standard for furniture-making,"added Mr Lai.

He said the state's furniture industry faces difficulties in obtaining sufficient quantity of good timber.As a result,Sarawak contributes less than 0.5 percent of the country's furniture export.This is despite Sarawak being the largest log exporter in Malaysia.

Mr Lai highlighted the need for adequate timber resources in order for the local furniture manufacturers to showcase their skills and develop the industry.

To attract investors into the furniture industry,Mr Lai proposes transparent,short,medium and long term policies to be implemented.This will make investors aware of the state's objectives for the furniture industry.