SEREMBAN, The Negeri Sembilan government is committed to strengthening productivity by expediting the transition to high value industries thus contributing to the improvement of the state’s economy, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.
He said industries with high growth and value will be strengthened based on seven clusters, namely semiconductors, aerospace, maritime, unmanned vehicles, electric vehicles, smart cities and oil and gas logistics hubs.
Aminuddin said Negeri Sembilan was the fifth highest contributor to the national manufacturing sector at 5.4 per cent last year and hoped the trend would continue next year.
“This sector (manufacturing) recorded a value added growth of 1.2 per cent, from RM19.4 billion in 2022 to RM19.6 billion last year.
‘Overall, it is the sector that drives the growth of the upstream sector in the supply chain. A viable manufacturing sector brings more research and development, innovation, productivity and export of goods,’ he told Bernama.
He said the sector w
as also one of the most important to the state with a recorded contribution of 75 per cent or RM7.6 billion, while the services sector contributed 25 per cent at RM2.5 billion last year.
Aminuddin, who is also the chairman of the state’s Investment, Infrastructure, Utilities and Public Facilities Action Committee, said a total of 189 projects were approved, with the manufacturing sector contributing 38 projects while the services sector 151 projects involving 3,250 job opportunities.
He said Negeri Sembilan recorded a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 1.8 per cent last year compared to 5.6 per cent in 2022 with the services sector being the biggest contributor to the GDP percentage.
He said the sector recorded strong growth of 4.5 per cent, offsetting the moderate growth of the manufacturing sector of 1.2 per cent and a contraction of 4.9 per cent in the agriculture sector.
Regarding investment, the Port Dickson Member of Parliament said Negeri Sembilan achieved its highest value ever recorded under
the administration’s history, amounting to RM10.1 billion last year surpassing its record in 2022 of RM8.9 billion.
The investment value is derived from various sectors covering manufacturing and services such as hotels, hospitality, real estate, finance, trade services, distribution, utilities and telecommunications, he said.
Aminuddin said the state government welcomed the open economy policy and the promotion of foreign investment as it was able to increase the state’s economic growth and create more job opportunities for locals.
“Many new industrial areas have been successfully planned and their development coordinated including in SPD Techvalley, Techpark 3 @Enstek, Hamilton Industrial Park (at Parcel A, MVV) and Springhill Industrial Park in Phase 3,” he said.
He added that Negeri Sembilan received foreign investments amounting to RM6.04 billion last year while domestic investments amounted to RM4.05 billion for selected manufacturing and services sectors.
Regarding the tourism sector, he said tour
ist arrivals showed a strong increase of 30.2 per cent to 15 million visitors in 2023 compared to an increase of 11.5 per cent in 2022.
“This year, we target eight million visitors and will continue to double our efforts to strengthen the tourism programme to attract more visitors to achieve our target,” he said, adding that the programme included NS Fest and Pesta Bola Ngoca.
In line with the Visit Negeri Sembilan Year 2026, the state government will increase the development of tourism products based on the ratio of 60:30:10 namely beach tourism (60 per cent), ecotourism (30 per cent), traditional and heritage tourism (10 per cent), he said.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency