THE Government cannot rely on the RM400 monthly cash aid alone to resolve the challenges facing smallholders, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today, stressing the need for continued action based on changing grassroots needs.
He said the Government must continue listening to smallholders as their needs change in response to economic conditions and the rising cost of living.
“If smallholder representatives ask me, is it enough? They would certainly say no, and I acknowledge that,” he said at the Plantation and Commodities Ministry’s monthly assembly in Putrajaya.
Anwar said the assistance should be viewed as part of a broader effort to strengthen the position of smallholders rather than as a complete solution to their problems.
About 270,000 smallholders involved in commodities including palm oil, rubber, pepper and kenaf had received RM400 a month under BUDI Agri-Komoditi as of September 2026, he said.
The Government must also ensure that assistance reaches the intended recipients and that they understand the support available to them.
“At the very least, they should know about it. They should not be saying that they have not received anything,” he said.
Anwar said the Government was also strengthening the commodities sector through measures including rubber incentives, oil palm replanting assistance, easier financing and the maintenance of plantation roads.
“This approach shows that the Government is not sitting idly by in addressing the problems faced by smallholders,” he said.
However, he cautioned that demands for increased assistance must also take into account pressure on the national economy arising from geopolitical developments and rising global oil prices.
“But we also have to understand the current economic situation,” he said.
The Government’s approach combines immediate financial assistance with measures aimed at strengthening the longer-term resilience and livelihoods of smallholders.
Anwar’s remarks underline the need for support to go beyond monthly payments and address the wider challenges affecting smallholders, including access to financing, infrastructure, replanting and sustainable commodity production. - September 8, 2026
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