KOTA BELUD: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) on Wednesday claimed the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority's (Risda) rubber replanting/rehabilitation programme has failed the villagers especially in the district.
Its Supreme Council Member, Peter Marajin, said the said programme has created serious problems not only to the hundreds of vullagers who took part in it but also their land.
He said he has received various complaints from villagers concerned especially around Kota Belud.
“The problem is this, Risda came to convince the rubber tappers it would undertake rubbel re-plantation for them at no cost. Its officers also promised the rubber tappers that they would be given high-quality rubber seedlings at no cost at all. Many rubber tappers were taken by this promise and agreed and signed a contract with Risda, allowing its contractors to fell old rubber trees and do the terracing, as most rubber planted land in Kota Belud is hilly, some very steep," he said, in a statement.
Now that was two or three years ago, he said, adding that to date, with the rainy season since last year, many of these terraced land had experienced erosion of soil and landslides.
"Some of these are very serious indeed, in various villages almost hitting the rubber tappers’ house or their neighbours such as what happened in Kelawat area. If you go these places, you could easily find those landslides and erosion," he said.
“There are still no rubber seedlings supplied as promised, leading to disappointment among many rubber tappers who missed the opportunity when price of rubber latex was hign the past two years," he added.
He said Risda should address this matter urgently if it seriously wants to uplift the economic status of Sabahan rubber tappers.
“The rubber trees would have been at least two years old now if Risda planned well its re-plantation programme. It should be matured for rubber-tapping in four years but now that seems to be unlikely as no seedlings are made available.
Many of the terraced lands now are also overgrown with bushes," he said.
“l believe Risda also carried such programmes which failed in other parts of Sabah, and thus the hectarage and number of families affected could be much higher...now can Risda explain so as to clarify this mess?"
Daily express
Friday, January 20, 2012
Page 6
No comments:
Post a Comment