Pahang draws RM91m investments from Jan-March this year
21 Jul 2020
The Pahang state government has received RM91 million in new investments from January to March this year, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said.
He said the investments involving domestic and foreign investors, however, were still low compared to the state government’s investment target of RM5 billion for this year.
“Our target was hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic but we will continue working to look for more investments in the new normal including organising more meetings via teleconference.
“Besides that, a one-stop centre has been set up in Gebeng, Kuantan recently to accelerate investors entry into the state that now takes 22 days (approval) compared to the previous 44 days,” he said after officiating the state-level Sirim Bhd-industry engagement programme here, today.
Also present were SIRIM president and group chief executive officer Prof Ir Dr Ahmad Fadzil Mohd Hani and Pahang State Agricultural Development Corporation deputy chairman Datuk Seri Shahiruddin Ab Moin.
Wan Rosdy said the one-stop-centre would also involve the participation of infrastructure providers in the state to facilitate dealings by the investors without having to face bureaucratic red tape.
For the record, based on the Malaysian Investment Development Authority report, Pahang received RM9 billion in domestic and foreign investments, involving 244 manufacturing projects, last year.
Meanwhile, he said under the state government’s latest plan, it is looking for interested private investors to upgrade and commercialise fish landing in Kuantan which is the East Coast’s highest volume of fish landing site.
The state also plans to set up a vegetable collection centre in Pahang, before being sent directly to Selayang, Selangor, that will commence operation in the near term in Bentong, about 162 kilometres from here.
Meanwhile, commenting on the programme, Wan Rosdy said he hoped more industry players, including from the small and medium industry (SMI), would improve their product quality through SIRIM such as in the aspects of certification, commissioning and testing, as well as instrument calibration.
“The technological assistance developed and undertaken by SIRIM can enhance the company’s competitiveness to penetrate a wider market, including international market, which ultimately can create more employment opportunities for local residents.
“However, the efforts made by the government and SIRIM will not be successful without the cooperation of industry players and I hope SMI companies can grab these opportunities to develop themselves, learn more new technologies and become more innovative,” he said.
Source: Bernama
