KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 ― The government will implement measures to bolster airport infrastructure supporting the country’s semiconductor exports in order to achieve the aspirations of the National Semiconductor Strategy.

Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said his ministry (Miti) will discuss the issue with the Ministry of Transport (MoT) soon.

He said that 90 per cent of the country’s exports are supported by air transportation.

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“Exports to foreign countries via Singapore are quite large as they have an efficient infrastructure, especially for this high-tech sector.

“In Penang, there was an airline willing to use a 777 cargo plane, but unfortunately, the plane could not land there. There are also suggestions for us to expand our airport in Senai, Johor,” he said during the question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.

Similarly, he said the government would also harness land transportation, especially the East Coast Rail Link project, which will be a catalyst for economic and industrial development in the states of the East Coast region.

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“The government, via the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, always takes proactive measures in an effort to attract foreign and local investments in various sectors into any state in Malaysia,” he explained.

Tengku Zafrul said that the Kelantan state government has given excellent support in ensuring that the electrical and electronic industry grows in the state, for example, through the presence of Rohm Wako Electronics (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd with an investment value of over RM1.7 billion.

The investment has created 2,000 job opportunities for the people, especially in the engineering, science and technical fields, he said.

He added that the government will always support and be open to working with the state governments in their respective development plans to grab the opportunities to attract quality investments, such as in the field of integrated circuit design. ― Bernama