MUAR, Aug 31 — The federal government has agreed to hold a roundtable with the Johor government in October in Kuala Lumpur to discuss issues and challenges facing the local furniture industry, especially in Muar, said Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.

The Investment, Trade and Industry Minister said this was among the matters decided at his meeting with the Malaysian Furniture Council and Muar Furniture Association today.

"I myself will chair the meeting (roundtable) to discuss issues and challenges faced by the industry today. The furniture sector is a big industry and in terms of total trade, it almost hit RM19 billion in 2022.

"Our exports are also huge and Muar is one of the biggest furniture manufacturing hubs in Malaysia, accounting for 60 per cent of the industry. The challenges raised included (lack of) skilled workers and breaking into new markets, especially outside of Malaysia,” he told reporters after the meeting with furniture industry players.

Also present at the meeting were Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, Bakri MP Tan Hong Pin and Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate in the Simpang Jeram state by-election, Nazri Abdul Rahman.

Asked about the Muar Furniture Park (MFP) in Bakri, Tengku Zafrul said a meeting would be arranged with the developer, Johor Corporation (JCorp), to discuss the kind of support the government can extend to the project.

"Industry players hope the state and federal governments can discuss with the party involved, that is Jcorp. I believe an idea has been mooted for this Muar Furniture City to help the furniture industry, and we will discuss this matter further when we meet,” he added.

Meanwhile, Onn Hafiz expressed confidence that collaboration between the federal and state governments can further tap Muar’s position as the country’s leading furniture hub as more could be done at the policy and ministry levels.

MFP, which covers an area of 399.4 hectares, is an integrated furniture-making hub launched in April 2018 and which is scheduled to be fully operational in 2024. — Bernama