I have in a media conference on 23/3/2017 at Parliament highlighted that replanting grants affecting 1.0 million smallholders have been reduced by 85% from an average of RM200 million per year from 2010-2015 to a mere RM30 million for 2017.
I have pursued this issue repeatedly at the various ceramahs to give pressure to the Government not to deprive the 1.0 million small holders their rightful entitlements.
I am happy that the Prime Minister, Dato Seri Najib Bin Tun Razak has announced on 18/5/2017 that an additional RM510 million for the next 3 years will be allocated for replanting and new planting of oil palm by smallholders. I urge the government to make available the whole of this new allocation immediately as there are many outstanding cases pending because smallholders were not able to replant their land for the last few years due to Government’s insufficient allocation for the said purpose.
There were many smallholders who could not wait to carry out the replanting/new planting as they were not sure if the Government will allocate further fund for the said purpose. They have used their own funds for the replanting/new planting. The present Government policy is to penalize them by not reimbursing them. Such enterprising smallholders with self initiatives should be commended and rewarded and not punished. I call on the Government to review the present policy and reimburse fully those who have replanted/planted with their own funds and give commendation for their effort to replant/plant on their own when the Government had run out of funds.