Sabah, Sarawak Bumiputeras benefit from specific development programmes in 2016 budget: Uggah

KUCHING: The RM115 million allocation in the 2016 Budget for the Special Programme for Bumiputeras in Sabah and Sarawak for Native Customary Rights (NCR) land mapping and perimeter surveys will allow the rightful owners to consider developing NCR lands commercially.

Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said this was the Barisan Nasional (BN) government’s commitment to ensure that more genuine NCR landowoners would eventually get the titles for their land.

“This in turn will reduce ownership disputes,” Uggah who is also Betong Member of Parliament told Bernama here today.

For the NCR land mapping and survey, a sum of RM30 million is for Sarawak to continue on with existing exercises and RM20 million for Sabah.

He said another specific goodie was the setting aside of RM70 million as interest free loan to be managed by the Bank Simpanan Nasional for longhouse construction. It willl benefit over 60 per cent of Sarawak’s poulation of 2.4 million residing in rural areas.

“Each family will get up to RM50,000 for the purpose. We may lobby from the government for more if this proven to be very helpful for them,” he said.

Uggah also said the decision by the government to raise the Rubber Production Incentive (IPG) price activation mechanism was another beauty of the budget.

“The price activation has been raised to RM5.50 from RM4.60 per kilogram for the SMR (Standard Malaysian Rubber) 20 and RM2.20 per kilogram for the cup lump from the RM1.75 now.

“This new rate will come into effect on Jan 1, 2016 to benefit more than 300,000 rubber farmers, who are mainly rural smallholders nationwide when the prices drop,” he said.

Uggah said this was basically to encourage the rubber tappers to keep tapping their rubber so that the country production would not be adversely affected.

He reminded them to register with their relevant agencies, such as the state Modernisation of Agriculture Department in Sarawak for the necessary PAT-G card (Rubber Smallholders Transaction Authority Permit), which allowed them to enjoy the incentive.-BERNAMA

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/10/24/sabah-sarawak-bumiputeras-benefit-from-specific-development-programmes-in-2016-budget-uggah/#ixzz3pXzal3NK