Kampung Sungai Kerawaiin TelukIntan, Perak, has become the first rural village in the country to get a rubberised road.
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong said despite the high initial cost for the one-kilometre road, maintenance would be lower in the long run.
He said there were plans to expand the use of the Cuplump Modified Bitumen technology in other villages as rubberised roads last longer and incur lower maintenance costs.
“The soft village ground causes frequent potholes despite the road having being tarred many times.
Rubberised roads consist of scrap rubber and bitumen, which are more durable and will not easily wear out despite regular use by heavy vehicles.
Mah said the technology has been tested on roads in Negri Sembilan, Kedah and Pahang.
He said despite costing 15%-20% more compared to conventional road paving methods, it has longer durability.
“This method will also better utilise rubber and we can create sustainable demand for rubber, helping provide some 440,000 smallholders and rubber tappers in the country with stable income.
“A study by the Malaysian Rubber Board revealed that 4.2 tonnes of cuplump were required to tar a kilometre of rubberised road,” he added.
At another event earlier, Mah said about 75% of youths trained by the Institute of Malaysian Plantation and Commodities (Impac) since 2011 have been employed.
He said 46,849 graduates have completed the various long and short term courses up to diploma level.
Impac’s target is to train some 78,000 participants by 2020.
Mah said more youths should seek the opportunity to register for the courses and work in the commodity sector, which offers lucrative salaries and allowances.
“The ministry is hoping to reduce the manual workforce by 40% and increase the use of machinery.
“There is a need to train more youths to handle such machines.
“We are also hoping to reduce the foreign workforce,” he said at the end of Impac’s skilled training seminar in the palm oil sector.
Mah said the use of machines and technology would change the negative perception youths may have about working in plantations.