Companies, individuals invited to contribute to 100 million tree-planting campaign

Yayasan Hijau Malaysia (YHM) chief executive officer Amin Abdullah said contributions could be channelled to the foundation which was responsible for raising funds for planting activities, supplying saplings and providing post-planting care.

He said each contributor is eligible to enjoy the tax exemption benefits provided in the Green Technology Development and Environmental Conservation Category under Section 44 (11C) of the Income Tax Act 1967.

"Tax exemptions are up to 10 per cent of total aggregate income for corporate companies and seven per cent of total income for individuals," he told Bernama here today.

For corporate companies, he said there are several packages provided under the campaign with prices ranging from RM50,000 to RM1 million depending on the number of trees and sponsored tree categories as well as maintenance works for two years.

Amin said the appointed contractor or vendor would plant the trees and carry out maintenance work such as fertilisation and treatment as well as provide a report on the status of the trees to the company that sponsors them.

"At YHM, we want to ensure that these trees continue to be cared for and live. We set the standard for each planted tree to grow at least 1.5-metre high," he said.

According to him, the type of trees set under the campaign includes all woody plants that have roots, stems, branches and leaves while the category of trees set for sponsorship are forest, mangrove or landscape.

"For forest trees, we will replant in selected areas while for mangrove, we know that it can be found along the coastal areas. For landscape category in urban or residential areas, the type of trees selected is suitable for the ecosystem," he said.

As for individuals, Amin said apart from contributing directly to YHM, they can also plant their own trees in the area of their choice and enter the tree data at www.100jutapokok.gov.my website or the Penghijauan Malaysia application which can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and App Store.

"You can even plant fruit trees such as rambutan, then take a picture of the tree and upload it on the app. Our system will update the number of trees that have been planted," he said.

Amin said 160,815 trees have been planted so far, on an area of 485 hectares and individuals are the ones who planted the most trees.

"This is one of our efforts to encourage the younger generation to plant trees," he said, adding that the trees sponsored by corporate companies are also updated in the application.

Amin said corporate companies or individuals who want to contribute can contact YHM at 03-8861 7811 or email to Dr Rafidah Rashid ([email protected]), Hafizan Ahmad ([email protected]) or Nur Hidayah Husni ([email protected]).

The 100 Million Tree-Planting Campaign launched by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Jan 5 is targeting an increase of 20,000 to 80,000 hectares in preserved forest areas by 2025.