KOTA TINGGI, Feb 27 — The Johor state government is aiming for first place in the country’s overall investment this year through its Special Economic Zone with Singapore (JS-SEZ), said Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi today.The Johor menteri besar said the state is currently placed third after Selangor and the Federal Territories, with a total investment of RM48.5 billion last year.“The amount of investments increased last year by RM5.4 billion compared to the previous year.“Johor is now in third place in terms of overall investment, but for this year we will increase our efforts. God willing, to become number one,” he told reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony of Johor Plantations Group Bhd’s (JPG) Integrated Sustainable Palm Oil Complex (iSPOC) near here.Also present were Johor agriculture and agro-based industry committee chairman Datuk Zahari Sarip, state investment, trade, consumer affairs and human resources committee chairman Lee Ting Han, and JPG chairman Tan Seri Dr Ismail Bakar.Onn Hafiz explained that the JS-SEZ will serve as a catalyst to attract investment into Johor, especially with improved infrastructure like the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, investments to widen several highways, and the Gemas-Johor Baru electric double tracking project.“So, there are many factors that will contribute to attracting more investors to Johor,” he said.Onn Hafiz said apart from facilities being developed, a skilled workforce through the Johor Talent Development Council (JTDC) will also play a role.“Through JTDC, we will become a complete ecosystem that is important to attract investors to Johor,” he said, adding that he was confident that all parties from the federal government, its agencies and also the state government are putting in effort to ensure that the plans will be implemented.Meanwhile, Ismail said the iSPOC facility is expected to create 250 direct job opportunities, with a focus on local workforce development and spillover effects to other related employment sectors.“It is scheduled to begin operations by the third quarter of next year and is expected to be the core for Johor’s economic and environmental conservation efforts,” he said.The iSPOC facility is developed with proceeds from RM171.6 million on 70 hectares of land in Pasir Logok Estate, Sedili near here.The facility consist of a refinery focused on producing speciality oils and fats, a palm oil mill for processing fresh fruit bunches into crude palm oil, a kernel crushing plant to produce palm kernel oil, a bio-energy power plant for sustainable energy generation, and an animal feed mill plant for further value creation.