THE SABAH Rubber Industry Board will be increasing the rubber hectarage of smallholders from the current 94,000 hectares to 130,000 hectares by 2020.
Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Yahya Hussin also said in a statement that the board will assist 12,000 new smallholders to increase the production of rubber from 1,398 kg/per hectare/year to 2,000 kg/per hectare/year over the same period, in a bid to generate an income of between RM3,000 and RM4,000/month for each smallholder.
Production of the Malaysia Rubber Standard (SMR) from 50,000 tonnes/year to 80,000 tonnes.year is also being targeted to increase.
The board is also implementing the Gana Agropolitan project in Kota Marudu, a poverty eradication programme involving 450 families, says the Minister, who also added that this year, the board will undertake the development of 3,215 hectares with new rubber involving 1,016 smallholders; and a total of 1,288 hectares will be replanted by 414 Serama smallholders.