Malaysia has been urged to step up promotion of its timber certification programme in Europe in order to allay concerns among importers that the country’s timber is from unsustainable forests.

Dr Rainer Herret, executive diector of the Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called for more advertising as the certification scheme was not widely recognised and differed to international standards of certification.

He was speaking during a visit to Malaysia by German business delegates from the state of Saxony.

Germany’s deputy head of economic relations with Asian Pacific countries Wolfgang Trautwein, who accompanied the delegation, said the wrong perception about Malaysian timber was proving a stumbling block to its sale in Europe. He said a further delegation would visit the country to learn about the certification programme, in order to convince importers of sustainability credentials.