TAPAH – The government today agreed to write off Felcra Bhd participants’ debt and disburse payment for 2/2022 interim profit distribution amounting to RM181.5 million to its participants, announced caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He said he was informed that the Felcra board of directors had approved the proposal to request the government to write off Felcra participants’ outstanding debts amounting to RM233.8 million for less viable projects.
“As of December 2021, 323 projects involving 22,173ha have been identified as less viable projects. If the yields are low, how can they pay the debts?,” he said at a programme with Felcra participants, Risda smallholders and the Orang Asli at Arena Merdeka here today.
However, Ismail Sabri said matters pertaining to the cancellation of the Felcra participants’ debts require the cabinet’s approval and hoped that it could be submitted to the cabinet after the 15th general election (GE15).
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri announced that a total of 74,949 Felcra participants nationwide would receive the 2/2022 Interim Distributable Profits amounting to RM181.5 million.
“Payments will be disbursed in stages from today,” he said.
The prime minister said he was happy Felcra Bhd managed to maintain good performance when it recorded an increase of almost RM51 million or 38.1% (in profit) compared to last year’s performance.
“This proves the efficiency of the Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) government in its governance of the country’s economy,” he said.
He said Felcra had succeeded in developing abandoned and less viable land into estates owned by participants and congratulated the agency for raising the rural land’s value.
For the Risda smallholders, Ismail Sabri said assistance in the form of a one-off grant amounting to RM15,000, with RM10,000 for the purchase of equipment and RM5,000 for training purposes had been provided for the youths.
The government has also approved RM191 million in monsoon aid of RM600 each to be distributed this November and December for 232,319 Risda smallholders.
Ismail Sabri, who was the rural and regional development minister, said Risda was allocated RM3.019 billion under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP).
He said Risda was also allocated RM269 million under the 12MP for entrepreneurship programmes, expected to benefit 77,183 smallholders and expressed confidence in Risda to achieve its aim in increasing the income of smallholders to RM4,500 per month per family in 2025.
Ismail Sabri said that under the Commercial Replanting Plan, involving an area of 18,667.83ha, the 13,357 Risda participants had been enjoying good dividends.
According to him, RM73.2 million in the plan dividends have been distributed to participants at an average of RM5,480.38 per ha per person for the period ending September this year.
Also present at the event were Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad and Datuk Seri M. Saravanan. – Bernama, October 17, 2022
