Sustainable supply of wood and fibre: does Malaysia have enough?

Malaysia is the world`s largest exporter of tropical timber (all products), at FOB value of RM21.5 billion in 2005, followed by Indonesia and Brazil. In 2004, Malaysia overtook Indonesia as the leading exporter of plywood with just over 4.35 million cubic metres (m3), but in 2005 China outstripped all producer countries including Malaysia (5.13 million m3) as the largest exporter of tropical plywood. Although the timber industry linkages integrating about 750 small and medium enterprise (SMEs) with another 1,500 smaller production units. Moreover, this sector is one of the few successful industry clusters developed under the Second Industrial Master Plan.