KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- Agriculture and tourism will be the key drivers of economic growth under a master plan designated for the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) which Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will unveil next month.
Petronas president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican said several key strategies and initiatives had been mapped out for both the two sectors under the 12-year plan covering the states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Mersing district in Johor.
Speaking at an editors' briefing on the ECER here yesterday, he said that for the agricultural sector, poverty eradication would be one of the areas of focus, given that the ECER states have among the lowest average household incomes in Malaysia.
Terengganu and Kelantan have the highest incidence of poverty in Malaysia, accounting for 15.4 per cent and 10.6 per cent of poverty in the country respectively, followed by Pahang at 4.9 per cent. Under the ECER master plan, a total of 561,000 jobs will be created by 2020 and hardcore poverty will be cut to zero.
Petronas is the master planner for the economic region, which comprises 66,736 sq km of land or 51 per cent of peninsular Malaysia. The ECER will be launched by the prime minister in Kuala Terengganu and Kota Baharu on Oct 30 and in Kuantan on Oct 31.
To make it a success, the development plan will rely on several fundamental strengths that the region possesses. Chief among these will be its rich natural resources, like the vast agricultural land and large reserves of oil and gas.
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Malaysia - East Cost Economic Region
East Coast Economic Region (ECER) (Malay: Wilayah Ekonomi Pantai Timur) is a new economic development corridor in Malaysia. This programme is a Government initiative to accelerate economic growth and elevate income levels in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia - which covers states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and the north of Mersing district of Johor.
ECER is also one of the three development regions formed in Peninsular Malaysia, other development regions being the Iskandar Development Region (IDR) (formerly known as South Johor Economic Region) and the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER).
The ECER initiative will span for 12 years starting from 2007. The master planner for ECER is Malaysia-owned oil and gas company, PETRONAS.
The ECER was launched by Malaysia's Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Kuala Terengganu and Kota Bahru on October 30, 2007 and in Kuantan the next day. During the launch of the project, the Prime Minister announced a RM 6 billion allocation for the opening phase of the project, strengthening the Malaysian government's commitment to the project.
ECER is also one of the three development regions formed in Peninsular Malaysia, other development regions being the Iskandar Development Region (IDR) (formerly known as South Johor Economic Region) and the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER).
The ECER initiative will span for 12 years starting from 2007. The master planner for ECER is Malaysia-owned oil and gas company, PETRONAS.
The ECER was launched by Malaysia's Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Kuala Terengganu and Kota Bahru on October 30, 2007 and in Kuantan the next day. During the launch of the project, the Prime Minister announced a RM 6 billion allocation for the opening phase of the project, strengthening the Malaysian government's commitment to the project.
" We want to ensure that no Malaysian, including the people in Pahang, is left
behind in the national development mainstream, we want the prosperity achieved
by "Pahang Darul Makmur" to be clearly and fairly reflected. "
Datuk Seri
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
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