KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities is striving to expediate the issuing of grants to oil palm smallholders in Sarawak with the state Native Customary Right (NCR) status under Section 18 of the Sarawak Land Code.
Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin said the ministry held a meeting with the Sarawak government on the issue on Sept 9 and was looking into several approaches, including reviving the taskforce between the ministry and the Sarawak government to expedite the effort.
“The ministry is also studying a more appropriate approach in providing any government assistance involving NCR land,” he said in response to an oral question from Jugah anak Muyang @ Tambat (Independent-Lubok Antu) on the status of land ownership under the NCR land status for the oil palm sector.
Zuraida said there were 40,713 licensed smallholders with a total area of 234,927 hectares in Sarawak.
Of them, it is estimated that 80 per cent or 32,570 smallholders were cultivating NCR land with a total area of 187,942 hectares. – Bernama
