There is great potential in Thailand for green building and construction materials from Malaysia, especially with the recent development in Thailand that focuses on clean environment and the use of environmentally friendly materials.
Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) Trade Commissioner in Bangkok, Niqman Rafaee Mohd Sahar said the owners of such building would be eligible for incentives offered by the Thailand Green Building Institute (TGBI) under the ‘TREES Rating System’.
In 2013, the total market for building materials was valued at more than RM35 billion with the overall construction and mining sector contributing 4.3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product, he said in a statement today.
Among the high demand products in Thailand includes iron and steel related products, pipes, sidings, roofing, plastic products, lighting fixtures, energy savings and green technology products, decorative, tiles and flooring, fixtures and fittings and others.
Matrade is spearheading the participation of Malaysian companies in a Specialised Marketing Mission (SMM) of Building Materials to Bangkok, Thailand, from Sept 17-19, 2014.
The programme is organised in conjunction with the Building Materials Expo Asia 2014 and the Construction & Building Technology Week at Impact Exhibition & Convention Centre in Bangkok.
The SMM managed to group Malaysian companies involved in the manufacturing of aluminium foil, stainless steel products, LED lightings, fencing system, waterproofing materials, fibreglass reinforce plastics, spa equipment and adhesive and sealants.
The SMM would give good exposure to these companies not only giving them better opportunities to meet directly with potential partners but also to provide them with the latest in trends and requirements to export to Thailand, Matrade said.
The SMM is also aimed at promoting Malaysian green building and construction materials.
Malaysia exported RM1.94 billion worth of building material products to Thailand in 2013. For the January-June 2014 period, the export was valued at RM1.06 billion.
Major exports products include tubes, pipes, iron and steel, wood, and nails, screws, nuts.
In 2013, Thailand is Malaysia’s second largest trading partner in Asean and the second largest export destination.
Thailand is Malaysia’s fifth largest trading partner, with total bilateral trade valued at RM78.6 billion in 2013.
For the first half of 2014, total trade increased by 5.6 per cent to RM39.9 billion compared to the same period last year.
