Sarawak! - Borneo Talk

• Batang Ai HEPScoreTen priorityindustrieshave beenidentified forthe SarawakCorridor ofRenewableEnergy• Bakun Hydroelectric Dam• Mukah Coal-fired Power Projectwww.spu.sarawak.gov.myLike any good long termplan, SCORE has identifiedten priority industries to bethe backbone for the growth of thecentral region and the State in general.Majority of them will be focusing onthe availability of competitive pricedand abundant supply of clean andrenewable energy in the form of hydropowerfrom the dams centred aroundthe central region of Sarawak.Aluminium, Poly-silicon, Metalicsiliconand Ferro-alloy industriesare the top ones which will startoff with massive investments in thecorridor areas and productions willbe mainly for export markets. Theseenergy intensive industries newmanufacturing plants look set toincorporate modern machineries intheir production lines but as always,manpower will also be a key factorin the production processes. All thesewill lead to the rapid industrializationand development of areas wherethese manufacturing plants arelocated and see the mushroomingof support industries and servicessprouting in the surrounding areas.The palm oil industry is alreadyexperiencing exponential growthin the region with plantations andestates being set up which willeventually make it the leader innumber of workers employed aswell as export of palm oil. Most ofthese are centred in Miri, BintuluAplenty and diversityof opportunities inSCOREand Mukah. Following closely thedevelopment of the palm oil industrywill be the livestock industry, whichcan utilize the processed fruitbunches as feed. Much of the currentprocessed fruit bunches are exportedas animal feed and so the livestockindustry is bound to benefit from theabundant supply of feeds stock fromthe palm oil industries here.The fishing and aquaculture industrywill be concentrated along thecoastal towns of Mukah, TanjongManis, Semop as the port and relatedinfrastructure facilities at Tanjung Manishave been specifically drawn up forthis industry. It is also designated asthe Halal Hub for the State and theexcellent site is conducive for marineengineering industries too. Presently,Tanjung Manis is a premier port fortimber based industries in the Stateand the related activities planned forthe region together with the extensiveinfrastructure of roads, port and airportwill make this the new growth centre.Baram in Miri and Tunoh in Kapitare being developed for thetourism industry market due totheir unique locations. The scenicbeauty of lakeside and surroundingpristine forests provide the perfectbackground for eco-tourism here andthe local people comprising a mixtureof Orang Ulus and other nativegroups are the attractions for foreignvisitors here. Many of the originallonghouses and traditional dressesand other cultural traits are still foundin these remote areas, which servedas the ideal sites for tourism activities.Oct-Dec2011BorneoTalk | 7