Innovation & Market Driven Strategies: Keys to Sustainable Growth 
Timber; flexible, structurally strong and being the lowest embodied carbon of any commercially available commodity; contributes $600 billion to the global economy and that translates to 1% of global total GDP. According to the World Bank’s forecast, the global demand for timber will quadruple by 2050. The market foresees major changes in the regional supply of and demand for wood fiber over the next two decades which will impact both international markets and other producers around the globe.

Southeast Asia itself has extensive tropical hardwood resources and wood processing industries, and is a major supplier of hardwood logs and woodchips. It is also a primary supplier of pulp, plywood and furniture to the global markets. Given Southeast Asia’s key role in the global hardwood markets, trends occurring in this region disproportionately impact global trade flows.

The second edition of the Global Timber Conference 2017 (GTC 2017) is once again back to gather 300 odd regional policy makers, experts and captains of the industry from over 20 countries in Sarawak; under the selected theme ‘Innovation & Market Driven Strategies: Keys to Sustainable Growth’ to discuss and deliberate on strategies in lifting the timber and timber-products industry.

1. Vietnam Expected to Become Second Largest Furniture Exporter
   The free trade agreements are expected to improve competitiveness for local interior furniture companies, helping them to penetrate potential markets throughout the world, said Ha Cong Tuan, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, at...
2. Vn Encouraged to Tap Australian Wooden Furniture Market
   Vietnamese wood enterprises have plenty of opportunities to export to Australia thanks to a number of factors that play into their favour, trade experts said. Việt Nam’s favourable geographical location as well as Australian strong import...
3. Wood Exports Can Help 2018 Target
   Việt Nam can reach its export value target of US$9 billion for forestry products this year through the export of wooden products, said an expert. HÀ NỘI – Việt Nam can reach its export value target...
4. Asia’s Mountain Tourism Should Target Adventurous Millennials: Globaldata
   With the rapid growth in popularity of “transformative travel” in 2017, mountaineering is now presenting greater opportunities for tourism growth in Asia’s mountainous regions, especially among younger visitors, according to GlobalData. Trends towards “transformative travel” –...
5. Malaysia: Gov't Targets Furniture Exports to Top RM12B by 2020
   KUALA LUMPUR: The government hopes Malaysian furniture manufacturers would be able to top RM12 billion by 2020, now that a total ban of rubberwood exports is in place. “We hope to see Malaysia’s furniture exports improve...
6. New Pact to Boost Timber Exports to EU
   The doors are set to open wider for Vietnamese timber exports to Europe after Việt Nam and the European Union (EU) concluded negotiating a forestry pact. The Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and...
7. Wood Consumption to Rise by 10%
   Consumption of wood products in the domestic market is expected to increase by more than 10 per cent this year from last year’s figure of $1.3 billion, according to the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association...
8. A Roadmap To Build Myanmar As The Food Basket Of Asia
   Ambitious plans by the Myanmar Central Government to catapult the current status of the country’s agriculture industry into the Foodbasket of Asia within the 21st Century will require tenacity and a steady flow of investments...
9. ASEAN and Japan Cooperation in Food, Agriculture and Forestry
   JAKARTA, 24 January 2014 - In a courtesy call on the Secretary-General of ASEAN, H.E. Le Luong Minh this week, the Senior Vice Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan, H.E. Takamori Yoshizawa stressed...