Masing (third left) symbolically hands over the money to Area Development Committee chairman Penghulu Undi Bajai. At left is Senate deputypresident Datuk Doris Sophia Brodie.
KAPIT: Five longhouses in Baleh have received over RM300,000 from phase one of a joint venture to develop their Native Customary Rights (NCR) land for oil palm.
Minister of Land Development Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing said the joint venture between Ta Ann Plantation Sdn Bhd, NCR landowners and Pelita Holdings Sdn Bhd would in total cover 11,178 ha and involve 68 longhouses.
“Today is the first batch of development involving five longhouses, 630.32 hectares involving 133 lots and the ones who receive it are 70 recipients, who were given outright payments of over RM302,553.60.
“Some we put into Assar (Amanah Saham Sarawak) and others in cash to the participants. We don’t want to give the whole lot in cash in one lump sum to them. Some were given to Assar investment, which they can get after five years,” Masing explained at the handover ceremony at Rumah Ikau Muli, Nanga Bawai on Friday.
In total RM75,694.60 in cash was handed out while the Assar investments totalled RM226,859.
“What’s important here is that the land has been there for a long time — half a century, 30, 50 or 60 years with no income at all. So we come in to develop it so that the land becomes productive,” said Masing.
He explained that it costs some RM16,000 per ha to develop the NCR land to plant oil palm.
“If we develop all the 11,178 hectares of land for oil palm, it will cost RM176 million, I’ve worked it out. Who are the people over there able to do it? Therefore, we invited the investors to come in. One, they have the money; two, they have the skills to do it because Ta Ann has been doing it. This is the fourth plantation they are doing it. Because of that, the next important thing is once that is being done, you have the accessibility, roads and second the land would be under their name.
“So in terms of land it would be very secure. The ownership is secure by giving the certificates to the landowners. Therefore, no more disputes over who owns what. There’s no dispute and there’s no suspicion that the government will take their land because it is under
their name. That’s very important that the land is under their name. That land is productive to generate income for the landowners. Those who do not have enough land, they can work there. So everybody benefits,” he added.