PM assures to review IPG, rubber market price

BERA: Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has given his assurances to review the rubber market price set for the Rubber Production Incentive (IPG) if he returns to lead the government after the 15th General Election (GE15).

The Prime Minister said he was aware of many parties requesting for the rubber market price, which was previously set at RM2.50 per kilogramme through IPG, to be increased.

"Datuk Seri Salim (chairman of RISDA) also raised the issue in Parliament. I have seen many requesting that the rate of RM2.50 (per kilogram) be increased, I have also discussed it with the Minister of Finance.

"We will look into this matter, Insya-Allah. If we are given the mandate to govern again, we will look into this matter," he said.

He said this when officiating the Prosperous Malaysian Family Smallholders programme organised by the Rubber Industry Smallholder Development Authority (RISDA) here today, which was also attended by RISDA chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Salim Mohd Sharif.

Ismail Sabri said the government is aware of how important the rubber plantation sector is to improve the country's economy and has introduced various initiatives and assistance to increase the income of smallholders.

In fact, he said that rubber is the only commodity that is still given full assistance by the government.

In addition to IPG, he said the government also introduced the rubber replanting programme with a target area of 20,000 hectares, which now exceeds 10,000 hectares with the participation of 7,180 smallholders.

Meanwhile, in order to increase income through the productivity of rubber products, he said the government introduced the rubber productivity incentive scheme (SIPG) involving an allocation of RM31.1 million to achieve an annual production of 1,800kg per hectare.

"Alhamdulillah, the initiative has been utilised by 29,205 smallholders nationwide, including 4,344 smallholders in Pahang and a total of 602 in Bera," he said.

According to him, RISDA has thus far succeeded in producing a total of 23,522 entrepreneurs nationwide through assistance amounting to RM56.3 million.

"Thus, the opportunity to become a RISDA smallholder is always wide open every year because the government, through RISDA, provides various initiatives to diversify sources of income and human capital development for the entire smallholder family," he said.

Regarding the Monsoon Aid (BMT) amounting to RM191 million that was announced previously, Ismail Sabri said that all smallholders will receive RM600 aid which will be distributed in stages, namely RM300 in November and another RM300 in December.

The Prime Minister said the aid was also announced in the 2023 Budget to be increased by RM200 to RM800 with an allocation of RM256 million for four months to 320,000 recipients from RISDA and FELDA.

"The government will also provide larger allocations to the smallholder community which is an increase of 18.1 per cent amounting to RM600 million compared to the RM508 million allocated this year.

"This allocation proves that the government is deeply concerned about the development of the rubber commodity sector involving smallholders in order to reach the monthly income target of smallholders to RM4,500 in 2025," he said.

-- BERNAMA