RUBBER PLANTER: Masing (right) presents tools and aid to a recipient. Also seen from right are Kapit District Officer Elvis Didit and Agriculture Department Kapit assistant director Dominic Chunggat.
KAPIT: A total of 62 households received rubber planting subsidies under the 1Azam programme recently.
Minister of Land Development Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing explained that each household received aid valued at RM10,000.
“RM1,000 is for the Agriculture Department’s operational and supervision costs, RM500 for the training costs and the remaining RM8,500 is for the recipients,” he explained when officiating at the presentation ceremony.
The money is to help participants clear land and purchase fertiliser to nurture the trees.
“1Azam is just one of the many government programmes to help the people. 1Azam programme is under the Min6istry of Women, Family and Community Development, whereby the Agriculture Department is the lead implementing agency to guide them through the scheme,” said Masing.
Since 2010, he said, 19,000ha in Kapit have been planted with rubber and some 550 households have come under the poverty eradication programme with an allocation of not less than RM 5.5 million.
Masing pointed out that planting rubber is more suitable for villagers compared to other agricultural ventures.
He advised those under the scheme to take up rubber planting seriously and look after their rubber trees.
“The team of a husband and wife can tap some three acres of land — approximately 600 trees per day. Based on the current market price it’s RM400 per acre, multiply that by three acres so it’s RM1,200 per day.
“This is very profitable. One month they tap an average of eight days, while the other 20 plus days they are free to do other things like vegetable planting or livestock rearing,” he added.