KUCHING: Sarawak has no issue with the federal government’s move to give the monsoon season aid to 70,000 rubber smallholders in Sabah under the new relaxed condition.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, however, said it was only fair that the same aid be extended to smallholders in Sarawak who qualify under this ruling.
“Based on the relaxed condition, the RM600 aid is now given to each landowner with garden of not more than 6.5 hectares,” he said in a press statement issued yesterday in response to a statement by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng on Uggah’s earlier appeal on the aid for the state smallholders.
Previously, he said only those smallholders with gardens of less than 2.5 hectares would enjoy it.
Uggah who is also Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development Minister added that Sarawak had some 74,000 smallholders registered with the state Agriculture Department.
“Some 58,000 have gardens of less than 2.5 hectares. So, we want those who qualify under the new conditions to enjoy this aid,” he said.
“Since more Sabah smallholders are now benefitting, we feel the same should happen in Sarawak. Thus, we would like to appeal to the federal government to give our smallholders the same consideration,” he added.
