From the Malaysian National News Agency
The certification scheme of Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) is expected to gain international recognition, said director of Centrum Hout of the Netherlands, Eric de Munck.
"Malaysia has a good scheme which ensures buyers the good quality of your timber products. There is no reason why it would not be recognised," he told reporters after meeting with the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) here Thursday.
He is one of the 12 representatives from the European Union Timber Trade Federation participating in the 11-day MTC familiarisation programme which started on July 4 until today.
MTCC is an independent non-profit organisation established to plan and operate a voluntary national timber certification scheme which will ensure buyers that Malaysian timber products have been sourced from sustainably managed forests.
The MTCC certification scheme, established in October 2001, has been likened to the ISO-14000 except that it is specific to the timber industry.
MTCC is working closely with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) towards aligning Malaysian forest management standards with FSC requirements.
FSC requires exporters to have the MTCC label on their exported products.
Currently, approximately 60 companies have been awarded the certificate for chain-of-custody, allowing them to export MTCC-certified timber products using the MTCC logo.
Director of British Woodworking Federation, Richard Lambert said that he was highly impressed with the local forest management system and proactive effort by MTC which he considered outstanding.
"We are very impressed with your forest management system," he said.
The system was established in 1992.
Lambert said that this familiarisation programme was beneficial as it provided a clear picture of the timber and forest development, management and policy in Malaysia.
