Malaysia: 42,250 Rubber Smallholders Receive RM500 Special Aid Each

SEMPORNA, June 21 (Bernama) — A total of 42,250 or 16.59 per cent of 260,000 rubber smallholders in the country have received special aid from the government to help them cushion the impact of the commodity’s falling prices.

Rural and Regional Development minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the ministry would ensure that every smallholder would receive the RM500 aid before Hari Raya this year.

“It is to ease the burden of the smallholders and to show that the government is sensitive to the fact that the falling rubber prices would affect their livelihood,” he told a media conference after a Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) corporate social responsibility programme here Saturday.

On June 4, Mohd Shafie, who is also Semporna member of parliament announced that 260,000 rubber smallholders throughout the country would get a one-off RM500 payment each under the special provision.

He said RM130 million had been set aside for the purpose.

“The recipients must be Malaysian with a farm of less than 2.5 hectares each and registered with Risda,” he said.

He noted that Risda had provided various services to meet the smallholders’ needs.

Meanwhile, Risda presented a funeral van and two haemodialysis machines to Semporna Hospital, scholarship to 10 children of smallholders and tuition aid to needy students in the district.

— BERNAMA