31 March, 2003 - KUALA LUMPUR: One of the biggest achievements in his 18years of being the Primary Industries Minister was developing the ministryfrom being commodity-based to one that is resource-based, said Datuk SeriDr Lim Keng Yaik.

This is the situation for the new minister to take over. We haveinstitutionalised all that is needed, improving and restructuring thecommodities sector with emphasis on downstream development, he said.

He added that in 1986, total exports stood at RM13bil.

Today, it is RM59.5bil, with palm oil and related products making upRM27.7bil, he said at the handing-over ceremony to the newly appointedPlantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kuiyesterday.

Dr Lim said the processing of commodities into products such as rubberproducts has resulted in the country being the largest exporter of rubbergoods in the world now.

He added that there was a need to expand the range to automotive rubberproducts.

For furniture products, we have to find a niche market and go formedium-range markets to compete with emerging markets like China andJapan, he said, adding that most of the commodities were value-addeddownstream products.

Dr Lim also said the high price of commodities was one of the factors thatcontributed to the clear mandate won by Barisan Nasional.

The smallholders and farmers are able to benefit from the high prices ofrubber and cocoa and from the sale of timber products, he said.

On his new appointment as Energy, Water and Communications Minister, DrLim said: It is a challenge for me. I understand that it is very much aservice industry and the slogan of the Barisan is to improve services.

He said his major challenge would be to make the services more efficientand affordable, adding that he would be checking up on privatisedcompanies to see whether they have improved their services and loweredcosts.

Chin said that with the ministry doing so well, he was pleased to beappointed as its minister after Dr Lim.

It is a happy situation that I am in and I hope it will continue being so.I will follow what Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi hasrequested from the people, which is to work with me and not for me, hesaid.

Newly appointed parliamentary secretary Ng Lip Yong said the ministry wasa valuable asset to the country as it was its economic lifeline.

I will fully support the ministry and hope to co-operate with Chin, headded.