RM600mil provided to help rubber smallholders this year

 

Risda chairman Noraini Ahmad said the rubber smallholders sector currently accounts for 84.2% of the country’s natural rubber production. (Bernama pic)

GERIK: The government has provided more than RM600 million for the development of rubber smallholders this year, with half of it allocated to accelerate the replanting programme as the commodity is typically susceptible to price fluctuations.

Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) chairman Noraini Ahmad said the authority has always opened up space and opportunities for those keen on developing the rubber industry as well as being part of Risda’s smallholders community.

“Through this campaign, interested parties will receive various assistance programmes that offer up to RM38,800,” she said at the launch of the replanting campaign for Perak Risda and the opening of the Risda entrepreneurs carnival here today.

Noraini said the aid packages will help smallholders earn a targeted average income of RM4,500 a month a family by the end of 2025.

”The entrepreneurship programme has been designed specifically to help rubber smallholders increase their total household income, not only through plantation products, but also through other businesses and entrepreneurial activities,” she said.

According to her, all smallholders are also eligible to receive entrepreneurship assistance of up to RM20,000 in the form of development materials under the Additional Economic Activities (AET) programme.

Noraini also said the rubber smallholders sector currently accounts for 84.2% of the country’s natural rubber production.

However, she said, smallholders face various issues, including the instability of market prices, unpredictable weather, and tree disease attacks that have led to a decrease in rubber productivity.

She said these issues had caused the number of uncultivated rubber plantations to increase to 533,000ha last year compared to 409,000ha in the previous year.

“As a result, the country’s natural rubber production dropped by 19.7% when only 377,000 metric tonnes were produced in 2022 compared with 469.7,000 metric tonnes in 2021,” she said. - FMT