Investment opportunities in the chemical industry during the Fourth Malaysia Plan

Abstract

The chemical industry is ubiquitous; it is present everywhere. It is technical but hard to pin down. To the professional chemist, it is about the manufacture of organic and inorganic chemicals. To the petroleum engineer, it is part of the petrochemical industry. To the economist, it is a heavy commodity-based, capital intensive sector concerned with high technology and high-added-value products. To the uninformed environmentalist, it is the reckless polluter and to the man-in-the-street, it may be a bit of that, plus Dumex headache pills, Du Pont Nylon, ICI Dulux Paint, Hoechst Batek Dyes, Esso Gas and Shell Mosquito Killer.