18/06/2012 (Borneo Post) - Malaysia’s largest Palm Oil Exhibition (Palmex 2012) and Oil and Gas Expos (Sogex 2012) are set to be held in Bintulu, Sarawak, with garnered interests from both local and international parties.

Scheduled to be held on July 11 to 13, Palmex and Sogex are to be officiated by Sarawak Minister of Land Development Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr James Jemut at Bintulu, Civic Centre.

The event which provides free admission for members of the public, is organised by Fireworks Event (M) Sdn Bhd (Fireworks Event).

Prominent exhibitors includes YKL Engineering Sdn Bhd, Apex Uniparts Sdn Bhd, Felda Agricultural Services Sdn Bhd, Pansar Co Sdn Bhd and Muar Ban Lee Bhd which are expecting to showcase various heavy machineries such as Fruit Bunch Splitter Machinery, Heavy Duty EFB Super press machinery, Automated Seed Pressing Machine.

There will also be showcases of waste water treatment system, industrial valves, actuators, pumps and motors, fertilisers, latest technologies of machineries for the plantation jobs and so on.

This inaugural event is expecting more than 5,000 trade visitors from local and overseas with more than 80 booths sold out. The event is also in conjunction with conference on “Borneo, Emerging Power in World Palm Oil Industry.”

A high profile speaker from United Kingdom, Dr. James Fry is expected to share his experience and knowledge in a seminar during the three day event.

Fireworks Events managing director Jerel Soo said at least 5,000 visitors are expected to attend the event involved in the upstream and downstream industry.

“More than 130 booths sold out with players from Singapore, Brunei, UK, China, India, America have taken up the booths. We are expecting US$60 million sales clinches throughout the event,” he said.

Meanwhile, those prominent players in the oil and gas taking up the booths in the Sogex 2012 are Shell, Dupont Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Hoerbiger KT Asia Services Pte Ltd, Mozzat Sdn Bhd, PTT Corporation Sdn Bhd, Shenzhen Ocean’s King Lighting Engineering Co Ltd and Tenaga Tiub Sdn Bhd.

Soo said Bintulu was chosen to be the preferred venue for these international events as it has chalked up the distinction of having the fastest growth rate in Sarawak due to its oil and palm and oil and gas activities.

Meanwhile according to the Bintulu Development Authority (BDA), the oil and gas industry is the biggest contributor to Bintulu’s success, based on its gross domestic product (GDP).

“While the country recorded a GDP growth of 4 per cent from 1995 to 2000, Sarawak’s average was at five per cent to six per cent and Bintulu topped the charts at seven per cent increase,” said BDA general manager, Datuk Mohidin Ishak who was quoted as saying.

“Bintulu’s accomplishments today are the fruits of the success of the oil and gas industry. The discovery of offshore gas reserves started the growth, which led to the construction of the Malaysia Liquefied Natural Gas Sdn Bhd (MLNG) 1, and later MLNG 2 and 3 by Petronas,” he added.

The Petronas facilities make up the world’s second largest LNG complex on a single site after Qatar.

“Bintulu, the oil and gas municipality was a fishing village with a population of just 14,000 in the early 70s. Today, Bintulu is a bustling industrial centre with a population of more than 210,000. The population growth rate is at four per cent to six per centcompared with the state average of 2.5 per cent,” he added.

He said it was the fastest growing centre in the country due to the pull of the growing oil and gas industry.

The BDA itself was formed as a result of the discovery of offshore oil and gas fields in 1978. Its main objective is to manage and develop Bintulu’s natural resources and independently implement new projects.

Bintulu would continue to reap the benefits of the oil and gas industry,as the initial projects by Petronas had created a draw to the area with multiple international companies signing up to develop large projects at the new industrial park in Samalaju, just 30km north of it.

Meanwhile, the oil palm industry forms the economic backbone of Sarawak and Malaysia, as a whole, and continues to face new challenges in the face of globalisation.

Rapid responses are needed to meet the increasing challenges of the industry as they unfold.

Bintulu is quickly becoming a hub for the palm oil industry in Sarawak. The government sees palm oil as a key growth sector and has eyed Bintulu as one of the primary areas for its development.