The Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) is requesting an additional allocation of RM22 million from the government for a replanting project involving 3,400 hectares of land.
Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the additional allocation was needed following the unexpected response from smallholders which exceeded the previous set amount.
He said for this year alone, RISDA had spent RM144.7 million on replanting, which was part of the RM358.8 million allocation for RISDA’s development programme.
“In Pahang alone, RISDA had spent RM31.8 million on 64,386 smallholders for the replanting programme. This is all aid which has been provided by the government to help the smallholders.”
“There is more assistance being provided such as the fertiliser aid, and we have fixed the floor price at RM2.20 per kilogramme so that if the price is low, the government will pay the difference in price,” he said in a media conference held after officiating the Raub RISDA Office here today.
Also present were Pahang State Cooperatives, Entrepreneurial and Consumerism Committee chairman Datuk Seri Shahruddin Ab Moin and RISDA director-general Datuk Wan Ahmad Shabri Zainuddin Wan Mohamad.