SIBU, Feb 27 — Tanjung Manis Economic Growth Area (T-MEGA), formerly known as Tanjung Manis halal hub, is confident that investors from China will soon receive the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval to proceed with their RM809 million worth of investments.

Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) is the agency mandated by the state government to develop Tanjung Manis.

Its assistant general manager (engineering and project) Bill Ensol Abang said the process involved evaluation and review of the EIA reports submitted to the Sarawak’s Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB).

“Everything is in the final stage. So our hope is to get the green light and EIA approval by this year.

“Everything has been prepared by the Chinese company, Sun Valley Holdings, including the design of shrimp breeding ponds,” he told Bernama during a site visit for members of the media participating in a six-day media programme organised by the agency.

Members of the media were given a tour to see the development progress of projects under STIDC’s supervision from Sibu to Lawas.

Ensol stated that Sun Valley Holdings is a genuine company with big scale production.

He and his team had travelled to China to see how the company conduct its daily business there.

“Sun Valley’s investment here will include shrimp breeding and processing facility, a research centre and promotional activities,” he added.

Tanjung Manis was originally developed as a timber processing zone in 1990 to cater for the timber industry in Rajang River Basin in central Sarawak.

After the global economic downturn in 1998, efforts to develop Tanjung Manis diversified to cater to the deep sea fishing industry with the Marine Fishery Department Malaysia constructed an integrated deep-sea fishery port.

Shipbuilding industry was also introduced at Tanjung Manis, which has a natural deep sea port in 2008 due to the increasing demand for shipbuilding activities.

In 2009, the Sarawak government introduced halal-based industry with an objective of turning Tanjung Manis as the country’s largest food production hub.

Investors would be accorded Halal Park Designation Status (Halmas) with attractive incentives and halal certification support services.

Total area designated for this halal zone was about 35,000 hectares, out of 124,000 hectares allocated for the focus industries in T-Mega.

Tanjung Manis is one of the growth centres in Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) apart from Mukah, Tunoh, Baram, Samalaju. — Bernama