Firm behind durian farm legalisation scheme claims harassment

The firm involved in the Pahang government’s controversial durian farm legalisation scheme in Raub claimed it has been harassed and intimidated over the past two weeks.

Royal Pahang Durian Resources PKPP Sdn Bhd (RPDR-PKPP) said that on Aug 12, a team delivering cabins to serve as security checkpoints were stopped by a group of about 30 farmers.

“They were physically prevented from proceeding to their destination by a group of 30 farmers and were verbally harassed and abused.

“The RPDR-PKPP team then decided to leave the area and subsequently lodged a police report on this incident,” the company said in a statement today.

Two days later, on Aug 14, it said that a security cabin that was being constructed was sabotaged and destroyed, and the incident has been reported to the authorities as well.

On Aug 23, it said its staff faced intimidation when two baskets of rotten, spray-painted durian were left outside its office in Raub.

“These incidences are alarming as it demonstrates the lack of respect for rule of law by certain parties and further highlights a coordinated and systematic campaign by these same parties to thwart our efforts in implementing the legalisation scheme.

“However, RPDR-PKPP is unperturbed and expresses its full confidence in the authorities especially the police force in maintaining law and order and upholding the rule of law principle,” it said.

Malaysiakini has contacted the durian farmers and the Raub police for a response.

RPDR-PKPP is a joint venture between Royal Pahang Durian Resources Sdn Bhd and state-owned Perbadanan Kemajuan Pertanian Negeri Pahang (PKPP).

RPDR along with its sister company Royal Pahang Durian Produce (RPDP) are part of the Royal Pahang Durian Group, which is linked to Pahang royalty.

The companies are currently embroiled in a land dispute with unlicensed durian farmers in Raub as it sought to implement the Pahang government’s land legalisation scheme.

Under the scheme, the illegally occupied land would be leased to RPDP-PKPP.

In turn, existing durian farmers are offered a sublease of the land to continue farming instead of being evicted for illegally encroaching state land.

However, the farmers claim that the contract they were offered included exorbitant levy prices, having to apply for a permit to enter their farms, not being permitted to trade freely, not being permitted to share their harvests, and possibly being forced to make reparations if they chose to stop farming.

In turn, RPDG had denied the accusations of initiating exploitative agreements with the Musang King durian farmers in an interview with Malay Mail.

It stressed that RPDR-PKPP had been awarded the lease and rights to 5,357 acres (2,168 hectares) of land in Raub for "30 plus 30" years and claimed that 30 percent of the land was being encroached on. - Mkini