KUALA LUMPUR: The government has allocated RM38.3 million this year to reactivate rubber plantations under the Abandoned Rubber Programme (PGT).
This initiative benefits nearly 8,890 smallholders nationwide according to information shared in the Dewan Rakyat.
Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Rubiah Wang revealed that 218 smallholders in Sarawak had specifically benefited.
She noted that the Betong area in Sarawak received benefits totalling RM1.5 million.
“Through RISDA (Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority), the ministry has ensured that mature but untapped rubber plantations in Sarawak are comprehensively identified based on the 2023 RISDA Census Report.”
“The report recorded a total area of 94,800 hectares involving 63,000 smallholders.”
“As of September 2025, 793 hectares of plantations have been reactivated through the PGT,” she said during the question-and-answer session.
She was responding to a question from Datuk Dr Richard Rapu @ Aman Begri (GPS-Betong) about long-term reactivation plans.
The question sought details on productivity targets for the next five to 10 years.
It also inquired about strategies for rubber price and market support for Sarawak’s untapped plantations. – Bernama