.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
RM1.5 million for oil palm replanting in Kudat
Published on: Fri, Jul 18, 2025 Text Size: Datuk Chan Foong Hin (second from left) officiates the groundbreaking ceremony for the new weighbridge centre owned by KPSM Kota Marudu. KUDAT: Deputy Minister of Plantation and Commodities, Datuk Chan Foong Hin, reaffirmed the Government's commitment to supporting oil palm smallholders in Kudat, Sabah by delivering over RM1.52 million in allocations. A total of RM795,780 was channelled to 10 smallholders under the Smallholder Oil Palm Replanting Financing Incentive Scheme (TSPKS 2.0) to support the replanting of old oil palm trees, covering 44.21 hectares.
Advertisement The initiative helps ease their financial burden while enhancing plantation productivity and ensuring long-term income sustainability. Simultaneously, RM725,000 was allocated for the construction of two Smallholders' Plantation Access Road (JLPK) projects, covering a total of 2.3 kilometres, aimed at linking community settlements with independent oil palm plantations in the Kudat District. The projects involved are JLPK Kg. Rasak Darat Tigaman (RM225,000) and JLPK Kg. Suang Pai (RM500,000). These roads are prioritised for areas with active or newly developed plantations to improve transportation of agricultural inputs and harvested crops, ensuring better access to main roads and sales centres. 'From a logistical infrastructure standpoint, the Government, through MPOB, has also implemented assistance under the Smallholders' Plantation Access Road (JLPK) project. Priority is given to roads that connect actively cultivated or newly developed plantations managed by smallholders. 'This is to ensure the establishment of improved connectivity for nearby communities, especially in transporting agricultural inputs and delivering harvested crops to main roads and sales centres,' said Chan at the launch of the TSPKS 2.0 Programme in Kudat this morning. He also called on smallholders to actively update their personal information with the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) to ensure timely and accurate delivery of government assistance and incentives. Meanwhile, Datuk Chan also officiated the groundbreaking ceremony (Majlis Pecah Tanah) for the new KPSM Kota Marudu Weighbridge Centre (Pusat Timbang) in Kampung Garuda, Kota Marudu. This will be the second weighbridge facility owned by Koperasi Pekebun Kecil Sawit Malaysia (KPSM) Kota Marudu Berhad. Licensed by the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities (KPK) on 17 January 2025, the facility is scheduled for completion by September 2025, with operations to commence by October 2025. Once operational, the weighbridge centre is expected to benefit around 300 smallholders in the surrounding area and is designed to handle up to 3,000 metric tonnes (MT) of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) monthly. The total construction cost of RM1 million, is fully self-financed through KPSM Kota Marudu Berhad's own business profits. Additionally, the cooperative also owns a RM1 million commercial building and operates an agricultural supply business to support the needs of smallholders in the region. In line with the Government's holistic development approach, MPOB continues to strengthen its outreach through advisory services provided by its Oil Palm Extension Advisory Officers (TUNAS) and by actively organising the Mobile Service Counter Programme or Open Day. To date, 29 outreach programmes have been held across Sabah with participation from 1,455 independent smallholders. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Guan Eng criticised for opposing minimum wage, EPF for migrants
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP national adviser Lim Guan Eng has been criticised by labour rights groups for opposing the minimum wage and Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributions for migrant workers. UNI-Malaysia Labour Centre (UNI-MLC) president Datuk Mohamed Shafie BP Mammal said Lim's stance was disappointing and shameful, especially from a former cabinet minister who had previously championed workers' rights. "To deny even the most basic form of social protection to workers doing the dirty, dangerous and difficult (3D) jobs, simply because they were not born here, is inexcusable," he said in a statement today. Shafie, who is also Asean Services Employees Trade Union Council (ASETUC), said migrant workers deserved equal treatment, including a minimum wage and EPF contributions. He commended the Madani government for recognising their contributions to nation-building. "Lim should have been proud of Malaysia under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for demonstrating progressive reforms by upholding fair treatment for all workers," he said. Shafie added that if Lim refused to acknowledge this, it showed the former finance minister was speaking based on emotion rather than fact. "Lim's comments discredited the government's bold and principled action. He also cited International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards. He should be supporting—not opposing—better treatment for all workers regardless of their origin," he said. Echoing this sentiment, Labour Law Reform Coalition (LLRC) deputy president Andrew Lo said the Bagan member of parliament's remarks were deeply troubling and could further entrench Malaysia's reliance on cheap labour. "He is giving employers a licence to employ foreign workers with lower salaries and therefore destroying the job market for Malaysian workers," said Lo, who is also chief executive officer of the Sarawak Bank Employees' Union. He said such a move would betray the interests of local workers. Lo said Lim lacked an understanding of labour economics and perpetuated 'Malaysians' employer addiction to cheap labour and low wages'. "He has also offended the ILO Convention 100 on equal pay for equal work, which Malaysia ratified in 1997, and he had no respect for anti-discrimination principles. "Singapore does not have a minimum wage framework at all, so it is totally misconceived to compare with Singapore," Lo said. The controversy arose after Lim argued during a debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan in Parliament earlier this week that there was no need to mandate the RM1,700 minimum wage and 2 per cent EPF contributions for migrant workers. He cited Singapore's exclusion of foreign workers from its Central Provident Fund scheme since 2003 and said it had not faced any repercussions from the ILO.
Daily Express
3 hours ago
- Daily Express
Kua questions DAP's stance after Guan Eng's minimum wage remark
Published on: Thursday, August 07, 2025 Published on: Thu, Aug 07, 2025 By: FMT Reporters Text Size: Former Petaling Jaya MP Kua Kia Song criticised DAP's Lim Guan Eng for ignoring the fact that Malaysia is an ILO member and has worked for years to align with its standards. PETALING JAYA: Former MP and Suaram director Kua Kia Soong has questioned whether DAP's stance on social justice and equality has changed after the party's national adviser Lim Guan Eng made remarks opposing the minimum wage and EPF contributions for migrant workers. Kua said the party, which has long styled itself as 'the conscience of Malaysian politics', risks appearing like a 'hollow vessel' when it comes to defending labour rights. Advertisement He also took aim at DAP's youth wing for remaining silent on the matter. 'What is the point of maintaining a wing called 'DAP Socialist Youth' (DAPSY) if its members remain silent while the party publicly defends wage discrimination and violates international labour norms?' he asked in a statement today. 'If DAPSY cannot even take a principled stand when one of its senior leaders calls for lower wages for migrants and effectively codifies inequality into law, then it must answer a simple question: What exactly do you exist for?' While debating the 13th Malaysia Plan in Parliament this week, Lim said there was 'no need to mandate the RM1,700 minimum wage and 2% EPF contributions for migrant workers' already in the workforce. Advertisement Lim pointed to Singapore's policy of not requiring Central Provident Fund contributions for migrant workers since 2003 without repercussions from the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The former finance minister also said that Malaysia was not bound by any United Nations or ILO conventions. But Kua said this ignores the fact that Malaysia is an ILO member and has worked for years to align with its standards. 'Never mind that ILO Convention 100 mandates equal pay for equal work, or that Convention 111 prohibits discrimination based on national origin, or that Convention 143 insists on equal treatment of migrants in wages and working conditions,' he added. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Malay Mail
4 hours ago
- Malay Mail
‘I don't smoke', says Anwar, backing push to raise tobacco tax
PUTRAJAYA, Aug 7 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said he agrees in principle with raising tobacco taxes. He was responding to calls for the government to review tobacco duties. 'I agree with the spirit of that proposal. I myself not only do not smoke, but also fully support anti-smoking campaigns,' he told reporters when asked about the matter. In 2015, Malaysia raised the excise duty on tobacco by 42.8 per cent. Together with the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the overall tax on cigarettes increased from 28 sen per stick in 2014 to 40 sen in 2015. Since then, tobacco taxes have not been revised. In Budget 2024, Anwar's administration introduced a 5 per cent excise duty on chewing tobacco, but left cigarette taxes unchanged. In May, a Merdeka Center survey found that two-thirds of Malaysians support higher cigarette taxes, provided they are implemented moderately and predictably. The survey revealed that 66 per cent backed a tax hike, 25 per cent opposed it, and nine per cent were unsure. Support was strongest among those aged 21 to 30, with over 84 per cent in favour, while opposition was highest among respondents aged 51 to 60.
