Logging firm recognised for best performance

A local logging company, Usahawan Borneo Greenwood Sdn Bhd, has become the first to receive Yayasan Sabah’s Appreciation Certificate as the Best Performing Partner of Rakyat Berjaya Sdn Bhd for Integrated Mosaic Planting in the Yayasan Sabah Concession Area (SFMLA 09/97).

KOTA KINABALU: A local logging company, Usahawan Borneo Greenwood Sdn Bhd, has become the first to receive Yayasan Sabah’s Appreciation Certificate as the Best Performing Partner of Rakyat Berjaya Sdn Bhd for Integrated Mosaic Planting in the Yayasan Sabah Concession Area (SFMLA 09/97).

“Usahawan Borneo Greenwood (Sdn Bhd) is the best performing partner. They achieve the target of planting, while at the same time, logging is ongoing. Even during difficult times, they struggle to meet the deadline for planting and irrespective of the weather, were always able to catch up with planting,” said Yayasan Sabah Group (YSG) Group Manager of the Forestry Division and Rakyat Berjaya Sdn Bhd’s General Manager, Dr Esther Li.

Rakyat Berjaya Sdn Bhd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Yayasan Sabah Group.

“This appreciation is in a way to recognise them for their good performance and to motivate them to continue their performance. At the same time, it is also to encourage the others involved in mosaic planting and to provide them with a good example (on) how a successful Rakyat Berjaya partner can do grand scale planting and bring in additional income to the group,” she said.

She added that there are four entities involved in the Integrated Mosaic Planting in the Yayasan Sabah Concession Area.

Esther also said that Usahawan Borneo Greenwood Sdn Bhd has invested a lot of money, manpower, effort and time for its achievement.

“We are about to see the result of the planting, maybe by the end of this year. It will be the first harvest. It will bring a lot of money to us because the planting itself is denser compared to the natural forest. For the planted trees we can get 200 cubic meters per hectare, so it is a lot of money,” she said.

Esther also said that roughly about 80,000 hectares have been allocated for the four companies involved in the mosaic planting.

Meanwhile, Usahawan Borneo Group’s Group Managing Director, Datuk Elbert Lim Yu Ming said he felt grateful for the recognition and felt that the company has the responsibility to deliver what was expected of it.

“We also had a strong management and this is the fruits of our labour,” he said to the Borneo Post at Wisma Innoprise where Elbert received the certificate of appreciation from Yayasan Sabah director Dato Sri Gulamhaidar @ Yusof Khan Bahadar. Also present to witness the event were Chief Conservator of Forests Datuk Frederick Kugan and Esther.

An area of 13,000 hectares gross was allocated to the company, out of which 3,000 hectares remained as natural forest while 10,000 hectares were developed as industrial tree plantation.

Elbert said Usahawan Borneo Greenwood Sdn Bhd began planting five species of fast growing trees in 2016 on the 10,000-hectare land in Gunung Rara, Kalabakan.

“The trees take between seven years and eight years before they can be harvested,” he said.

The company is expected to carry out its first harvesting this year with an expected harvest of 100,000 cubic meters, he said.

“People say that planting trees is a mad man’s work, but we are reaping the fruits of our hard work ... it is a win-win for all three parties (the State Government, Rakyat Berjaya Sdn Bhd and Usahawan Borneo Greenwood Sdn Bhd).

Elbert, who has ventured into the logging industry since 1994 said he has also set his sights on venturing into the downstream production of pallets, plywood, furniture and sawn timber in the future, as well as marketing the company’s wood products to local and foreign markets.

Frederick, when interviewed at the event, reminded that tree plantation has been emphasised by the Sabah State Government.

“In fact, we have already announced that we want to establish 400,000 hectares of industrial tree plantation of fast growing species to provide the required timber material for the industry,” he said.

He added that the State Government is targeting the year 2036 to accomplish it.

“So far this year, as of today, about 170,000 plus hectares (have been developed),” he said.

Frederick explained that the aim of the endeavor is to reduce dependency on natural forest for the timber industry.

“So we focus on timber production in industrial tree plantations,” he said.