Perak: 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 stated that 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.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Saarani emphasized that for the time being, Perak is still allowed to export and is working to build the NR-REE (non-radioactive rare earth elements) industry, covering not just the upstream industry for extraction but also the midstream industry to separate the element. He highlighted the importance of developing a downstream industry to create end products from REE. Saarani made these remarks at a press conference after officiating the Perak State Geospatial Aspirations Programme 2025.
On November 13, the Federal Government decided to implement a short-term moratorium on the export of raw REE from 2025 to 2027 to support the development of the midstream industry. Meanwhile, Saarani mentioned that the state government welcomes external parties willing to share technology but insists that Perak will not allow any party to merely extract the state's natural resources without participating in joint development. He stressed that negotiations and technology sharing are crucial for optimizing these natural resources.
Regarding today's programme, Saarani announced the launch of the state housing dashboard, HartanahPerak, a geospatial-based digital reporting platform. This dashboard displays detailed, transparent, and easily accessible information on housing development, developed through the cooperation of UPEN (PerakGIS) and the Perak Housing and Property Board (LPHP). It maps and profiles housing projects, covering planning, construction status, location, housing categories, and the status of sick and abandoned projects.
Saarani explained that 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. Today's launch was held in conjunction with the Perak State Geospatial Aspirations Programme 2025, the second edition of the biennial programme focused on strengthening the use of spatial data in state development.