Northern Corridor Economic Region
The Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER; ) is a development plan encompassing the four northwestern states of Malaysia, namely Perlis, Penang, Kedah and Perak. It was launched in 2007 by the federal government with an aim to transform the region into a sustainable and socio-economically balanced region by 2025. The Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) is the statutory body responsible to establishing the NCER's direction, policies and strategies. Background and history In an effort to reduce regional imbalances and provide equitable economic growth across the country, the government established five economic regions during the Ninth Malaysian Plan. NCER was formed in 2007 to leverage on the various economic and social advantages of selected areas in the four northern states of Peninsular Malaysia - Kedah, Perlis, Perak and Penang. NCIA was established as the body tasked to oversee, plan and execute economic and social development strategies in the NCER by focusing on three priority sectors: Agriculture, Manufacturing and Services. In 2014, the district of Manjung, Perak, was included in NCER; and this was followed by the rest of Perak in 2016. The northern states that form NCER remain as the country’s most ideal agricultural location with consistent tropical weather as well