49,000 rubber smallholders to receive Aidilfitri aid

PUTRAJAYA: About 49,000 rubber smallholders nationwide will receive a Special Aidilfitri Assistance of RM200 each, involving an allocation of RM9.8 million, said the Plantation and Commodities Ministry.

In a statement today, the ministry said that through the Malaysian Rubber Board, the aid will be channelled to registered smallholders with rubber plantations exceeding 2.5 hectares up to six hectares.

At the same time, the aid will also be distributed by the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) to smallholders with rubber plantations of 2.5 hectares or less.

"The aid will be credited into the smallholders' bank account before or on April 14, 2023," the statement read.

The ministry said it had taken action to ensure that the target group of rubber smallholders benefit from the assistance.

"This financial aid is hoped to ease the burden of rubber smallholders across the country in meeting their needs for the upcoming Aidilfitri celebration," it said.

On March 29, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government has agreed to give RM200 in Special Aidilfitri Assistance to 850,000 rubber smallholders, paddy farmers and fishermen, involving a total allocation of RM170 million.

-- BERNAMA