ALOR SETAR: The much awaited Kedah Rubber City (KRC) project was launched on Monday (Feb 7).

       The project was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob during a ceremony at Padang Terap.

       The country’s first ever-dedicated rubber eco-industrial park is expected to sustain the current growth trajectory of Kedah and Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER).

       Ismail Sabri said that the KRC is one of the various game-changer projects implemented by the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) in collaboration with the state government to transform Kedah into a developed state, thus narrowing the regional development gap.

       "The project also reflects the government’s commitment in bringing large-scale development to less developed areas in the country," he said.

       During the launch, Ismail Sabri also witnessed the exchange of collaboration documents between NCIA and various stakeholders and investors with regards to the development of KRC.

       To be developed in two phases in an area spanning 1,244 acres, KRC is one of the Federal Government’s national strategic projects implemented via the NCIA with the aim of making it a leader in the development of Malaysia's rubber industry as well as a global hub for high-value rubber industry.

       As of today, the project has attracted some RM4bil worth of committed investment that will create 7,000 new job opportunities.

       The KRC project is already on track to meet its RM10bil private investment target by 2025, five years earlier than the original target of 2030 and is expected to create around 15,000 job opportunities.