MUAR: A special meeting will be held in October to discuss issues faced by local furniture industry players, says Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
He will be chairing the roundtable, expected to be held in Kuala Lumpur, in a bid to boost the Malaysian furniture industry.
“I have met with members of the Muar as well as the Malaysia furniture associations in a meeting here where they have brought up several issues.
“I have agreed to work with the Johor government to have a roundtable where these issues will be addressed,” he said after a dialogue with furniture industry players here yesterday.
Among the issues that were brought up included the need for more skilled workers.
“They also hope that the state and federal governments could assist them in reaching out to new markets outside of the country.
“The status of the Muar Furniture Hub was also brought up, where industry players hope that we could talk to the relevant party, which is Johor Corporation (JCorp),” Tengku Zafrul said, adding that a meeting would also be held with JCorp.
Meanwhile, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi hopes that the meeting will help to further boost the furniture industry, especially in Muar.
“I am thankful to the minister for coming here as we know that the furniture industry is the most important industry for the Muar district.
“About 70% of the total trade of the furniture industry comes from Muar, which is about 2.7% of the total world trade.
“We are confident that with the collaboration of the Federal Government, the numbers could go even higher as we will able to solve a lot of issues,” the Mentri Besar said.
