KUANTAN: Pahang aspires to become the assembly and manufacturing hub for electric vehicles (EV) in the East Coast, says state investment, industry, science, technology and innovation committee chairman Datuk Mohamad Nizar Najib.
He said the latest statistics from the Statistics Department showed a dramatic increase in EV sales and in the first half of 2024, as many as 10,663 electric cars were sold, double the 4,409 EVs sold over the same period in 2023.
"The surge in EV usage marks a clear shift in the automotive market. In fact, states on the West Coast such as Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka have become the choice of electric vehicle manufacturers to build assembly and manufacturing plants due to logistics factors.
"We also want to see Pahang become a hub for the assembly and manufacturing of electric vehicles in the East Coast. If logistics is a major criterion, then we will strengthen the promotion of the logistics network and the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) which connects Port Klang and Kuantan Port," he said.
He said this when winding up debate on the 2025 Pahang Budget at the State Legislative Assembly at here on Thursday (Dec 5).
Additionally, Mohamad Nizar informed that this year saw a collaboration between Perbadanan Setiausaha Kerajaan Pahang to develop 50 EV charging stations throughout Pahang with an estimated investment of RM250mil.
He said the Bentong district was chosen as the pilot district with the construction of the first charging station out of 12 stations to be built in the district.
Meanwhile, Pahang consumer affairs and human resources committee chairman Sim Chon Siang said the amount of rice produced in Pahang is 14,000 tonnes per year and is insufficient for the state's population.
"Sufficient rice for the people of Pahang is 130,000 tonnes, this is not including foreign workers working here," he said.
Elaborating further, he said to meet the difference in the amount of rice produced, the government has taken the approach of importing 45% of the required rice compared to 55% of the existing amount marketed by producers in the country.
Meanwhile, he informed that the number of Madani Rahmah Sales Programmes in Pahang so far is 433 with 156 locations implemented on-premises, off-premises (33) and mobile (244). – Bernama
