ISKANDAR PUTERI – Johor emerged as the biggest contributor to Malaysia’s total trade, worth RM247.59 billion, from January to April this year.
Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said Johor’s contribution in terms of trade and investment is important for the country’s economic growth.
“Both trade and investment are important, and Johor’s contribution to trade is number one, at 30% of Malaysia’s total trade,” he told reporters after attending the joint committee meeting on industrial coordination in Kota Iskandar here today.
Also present was Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
Malaysia recorded total trade worth RM842.795 billion from January to April this year.
For the same period last year, Johor was third in terms of total trade behind Selangor and Penang.
Tengku Zafrul said the investment momentum in Johor is positive and growing, with main sectors such as electrical and electronics, chemicals and petrochemicals continuing to be the focus.
“Today’s meeting also discussed the renewable energy industry and workforce, with investors and companies asked to focus on these two aspects,” he added.
The minister also praised the performance, coordination, and cooperation of federal agencies and the state government in ensuring that all investments in Johor that had been announced were successfully implemented.
“For example, when investors come, sometimes there are (projects) that cannot be implemented. In Johor, based on the track record, almost 98% of the announced projects have been implemented,” added Tengku Zafrul.
Meanwhile, Onn Hafiz expressed his appreciation to the Investment, Trade, and Industry Ministry and the federal and state agencies involved in ensuring investments in Johor are at the best level.
The state also recorded the highest exports in the country for the period from January to April this year, he added.
“The cooperation among MiTI, Mida, and agencies under the ministry, together with agencies at the state level such as Invest Johor and local authorities, contributed a lot to this investment figure.
“Export value continues to increase because investors want to see how we can help them in terms of efficiency, because time is money,” he added. – Bernama, June 23, 2023
