MALAYSIA’S move to pioneer the usage of rubberwood as an alternative raw material for timber in its wood furniture industry has spurred investor interest in the cultivation of large-scale rubber tree forest plantations nationwide.
This interest has gone beyond the Sabah and Sarawak governments especially with the private sector now involved in the joint venture between China-based Guangdong Guangken Rubber Group and Bornion Timber Sdn Bhd to develop a 12,000-ha rubber tree forest plantation in Sabah at a whopping investment of RM230mil.