ECERDC: Strategic projects to revitalise region’s economy post-Covid-19
09 Jul 2020
The federal government, through the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC), will continue implementing strategic projects and attract new investments to revitalise the East Coast Economic Region’s (ECER) economy post-Covid-19.
ECERDC chief executive officer Baidzawi Che Mat said the council would remain focused on its primary agenda of enabling the region’s socio-economic transformation and growth.
“As such, in addition to the recovery agenda, the strategic projects that have been earmarked in the ECER Master Plan 2.0 (EMP 2.0) will continue in full force to ensure long-term growth in the region,” he said in a statement.
In the manufacturing sector, the biggest contributor to ECER’s economic development, infrastructure projects including the expansion of industrial parks, logistics and services will be implemented to increase ECER’s competitiveness and attract more private investment.
Among the projects are the expansion of Kerteh Biopolymer Park in Terengganu, construction of Kuantan Port City port link road and the Kemaman-Gebeng water supply project in Pahang.
To further strengthen the region’s appeal as a distinctive and dynamic destination for investments, ECERDC and the Pahang state government will establish a One-Stop Centre in Gebeng, Pahang within the ECER Special Economic Zone.
“ECER has attracted RM122.6 billion in committed investments over the past 10 years, which will create 118,700 job opportunities and develop 10,720 entrepreneurs.
“Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, with the strategies laid out, we are confident that the EMP 2.0 target of RM70 billion in new investments, creating 120,000 job opportunities and 60,000 new entrepreneurs by 2025 can be achieved,” he said.
Meanwhile, the region is well-positioned to capitalise on the demand for domestic tourism as international travel restrictions will remain in force in the foreseeable future.
To further boost domestic tourism, the council said it is critical for key tourist attractions be completed, including the redevelopment of Kampung Laut in Kelantan, Kampungstay Air Papan in Mersing, Johor, and the upgrading of infrastructure in the islands in ECER.
Covid-19 has also underlined the need for Malaysia to focus on food security, therefore, enhancing Malaysia’s food production and other downstream activities will be an important focus for the council in the medium to long term.
Among the key projects are the establishment of Jemaluang Dairy Valley which is targeted to produce 4.8 million litres of milk a year, Tok Bali Integrated Fisheries Park which will focus on value-added processing activities, as well as, Endau Mersing Fish Processing Park which will establish a new fisheries hub in the district and provide small and medium enterprises with a platform to produce high value fish products.
In efforts to boosting cross-border trade, among the key projects that are critical for the region’s macro-economic growth include the development of the Tok Bali Port as strategic trading outpost to the Indo-China Region, Tok Bali Industrial Park, Tak Bai-Pengkalan Kubor Bridge, Rantau Panjang-Sg Golok Bridge, and the Sungai Golok flood mitigation project, which will boost trade between Kelantan and Thailand.
Source: Bernama
