PERAK GRANTED SPECIAL EXEMPTION BY FEDERAL GOVT TO EXPORT REE - SAARANI

IPOH, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- Perak continues to be granted a special exemption by the Federal Government to export rare earth elements (REE), despite the ban on exporting the material being in effect until 2027, as the state is still in the pilot project phase.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said Perak was given special permission to export to prevent the material that has already been extracted from being wasted, with the approval being granted from time to time until it is halted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability.

"But for the time being, we (Perak) are still allowed, and we are working to build this NR-REE (non-radioactive rare earth elements) industry, not just the upstream industry (for) extraction, the midstream industry to separate the element, and then, the important one is the downstream industry.

"We want to develop an industry ourselves that can grow and produce end products from REE," he said at a press conference after officiating the Perak State Geospatial Aspirations Programme 2025 here today.

On Nov 13, the Federal Government decided to implement a short-term moratorium on the export of raw rare earth elements (REE) from 2025 to 2027, in support of the development of the midstream industry.

Meanwhile, Saarani said the state government welcomes the presence of external parties who wish to share technology but stressed that Perak would not permit any party that merely wants to extract the state's natural resources without joint development.

"They should come, negotiate with us, and must develop together and there must be technology sharing because we want to optimise these natural resources," he said.

Regarding today's programme, he said Perak today launched the state housing dashboard, Hartanah@Perak, which is a geospatial-based digital reporting platform displaying detailed, transparent, and easily accessible information on housing development.

"The dashboard, developed through the cooperation of UPEN (PerakGIS) and the Perak Housing and Property Board (LPHP), maps and profiles housing projects, covering planning, construction status, location, housing categories, as well as the status of sick projects and abandoned projects.

"Through this dashboard, the state government can monitor the achievement of the Perak Sejahtera 2030 housing targets more comprehensively, thus providing a clear reference source for Local Authorities (PBT), technical agencies, and the public," he said.

Today's launch was held in conjunction with the Perak State Geospatial Aspirations Programme 2025, the second edition of the biennial programme that focuses on strengthening the use of spatial data in state development.

-- BERNAMA