KUCHING: The Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) will take firm action against those selling its rubber seedlings illegally.
Director-general Datuk Wan Mohamad Zuki Mohamad said all Risda state offices have been directed to closely monitor the situation to ensure no ‘leaks’ will affect the success of its rubber replanting programmes.
He pointed out that high-quality seedlings produced by subsidiary Risda Semaian dan Landskap Sdn Bhd (RSSB) are strictly not for sale to outsiders.
“We are not supposed to sell the seedlings unless there is excess in supply. All Risda offices in states nationwide have been asked to monitor the situation to ensure there are no more ‘leaks’. We will take firm action against anyone caught infringing this directive,” he said when launching Risda Sarawak’s Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Convention yesterday.
The seedlings shortage experienced last year must not happen again, he said, so that Risda can meet demand from smallholders.
The government has allocated RM346 million for Risda rubber replanting schemes involving 40,000ha nationwide and Wan Mohamad pointed out the programme’s success is highly dependent on adequate seedling supply.
“This year, we hope RSSB can supply 26 million rubber seedlings. The replanting scheme programme is the main core of Risda’s activities nationwide.”
Meanwhile, he said the size of premium fertiliser bags supplied to smallholders and estates will be reduced from 20kg to 10kg from next month so that they are easier to carry.
The application of fertiliser, he said, constitutes 50 per cent of productivity in estates.
“We do not want to see the bags of fertiliser being left not utilised. Not applying fertiliser to the trees can also be considered torture to the plant because we do not provide it with its food.” He said GAP conventions were carried out in every state so that suitable practices would be implemented to increase production volume as well as ensure scheme participants benefit from Risda programmes.
Risda has set a target for participants to earn at least RM2,500 monthly per household by 2015 and RM4,000 monthly per household by 2020.
On Sarawak, he said the state’s production rate of 500kg latex per ha annually is still low.
He challenged the state Risda office to increase production volume to at least 1,000kg per ha or 1,600 kg per hectare.
Meanwhile, Risda Sarawak director Wahid Marican Mohamad Daud Marican appealed in his speech for an increase of manpower in the state.
He said Risda Sarawak needed to fill over 30 vacancies in the clerical section to handle the processing of an increased number of applications.
“Our office in Betong receives the most number of new applications,” he said, adding that Risda Sarawak also aimed to develop 5,000ha of mainly titled land for its rubber planting schemes.