SRI AMAN: The state government is aiming to develop at least 260,000 hectares of land to plant high yielding rubber trees by 2020.
According to assistant minister of agriculture Datuk Mong Dagang, the government will have to plant at least 39,000 hectares of rubber trees each year to meet the target.
Mong also said that people in the rural areas should take advantage of the opportunity to plant rubber trees at their vacant land.
“The participation of these rural farmers would indirectly transform their economic activities into a high income nation status,” said Mong during the launch of a rubber planting project at Tekalong Melugu, Sri Aman recently.
The project which involves 68 participants readily makes available a total of 274 acres of land to be developed with a cost of RM3.7 million.
Mong, who is also Bukit Begunan state assemblyman, said the Sri Aman agricultural department has projected that a total of 1,000 hectares of rubber trees will be planted in Sri Aman each year.
He also said that the government has approved the planting of rubber trees in areas of Sri Aman, Pantu, Engkilili and Lubok Antu with an accumulated size of 1,799 hectares.
Source: theborneopost.com