BERA: An allocation of almost RM65mil has been set aside for the implementation of five initiatives to help Felda settlers and its new generation in various aspects, including housing, says Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
The Prime Minister said the initiatives included a fund of RM20mil under the Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme as the collateral for housing loans to be made by the new generation of Felda settlers.
“With this, Felda settlers need not have to offer other collateral for a loan, thus facilitating the financing process for house construction in Felda generation lots.
“A revolving fund of RM10mil has also been allocated to provide more opportunities to start a business or increase the capacity of the business to entrepreneurs among the younger generation of Felda, involving interest-free loans of between RM5,000 and RM20,000 with applications to open in August.
“In a bid to provide necessary facilities for the new generation of Felda to reside in its areas, the agency has previously implemented the Felda New Generation Project (PGBF).
“I would like to announce that the RM7.6mil in monthly rent already paid by 2,025 PGBF occupants, as well as rent to be collected after this, to be counted as their deposit when they buy a PGBF house.
“This means, if the total rent paid for 36 months is RM10,800, then the price they have to pay for a middle unit worth RM90,000 will be reduced to RM79,200,” he said when officiating the Felda Settlers’ Day 2022 celebration at Felda Rentam here yesterday.
The celebration, themed Kejayaan Dalam Keberkatan, was also attended by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Felda chairman Tan Sri Idris Jusoh, Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail and National Felda Settlers chief Jamil Mohamed Shariff.
The Prime Minister, reported Bernama, also said to help Felda rubber plantation settlers, the agency would allocate RM6.1mil this year in management fund to take over the management of the rubber collection centres from FGV Rubber Industries Sdn Bhd.
He said this would reduce factory operating costs by 23sen per kilo for dry rubber, with an additional 5sen when they reach the monthly target.
“The move, which as a whole involves a reduction of 28sen, will provide an additional RM11.2mil in income to 10,707 rubber plantation settlers,” he said, adding that the government and Felda had never sidelined the settlers.
In conjunction with the 66th anniversary of Felda’s establishment this year, Ismail Sabri said a special development allocation of RM66,000 to every 317 Felda settlement areas, making a total of RM21mil that could be used to repair or upgrade infrastructure on the land involved.
Apart from that, he also announced the change of the Felda Mara Junior Science College Premier programme to the Ulul Albab programme, starting in the 2023 academic year, which aims to produce a new generation of Felda settlers who excel in professional fields and adhere to the Al-Quran and Sunnah.
In his speech, Ismail Sabri also expressed pride in the achievements of Felda and the settlers in various advanced areas in the agricultural field, including in the empowerment of mechanisation and farm management technology, to the extent of increasing its productivity to an average of 20 tonnes per hectare per year this year.
“I am pleased to share that this increase in productivity has led to the value creation of over RM1bil a year for the settlers.
“They can also receive additional income of up to RM162mil for each 0.5% increase in oil extraction rate.
“Felda also managed to reduce the plantation operation costs by RM200mil in the purchase of fertilisers with the use of the Smart Plantation Management Solution,” he said.
The Prime Minister also touched on Felda’s strong commitment to ensuring national food security such as through the Settler Development Programme, which began in 2019, involving 8,542 livestock breeding and agricultural projects that could give additional income to 56,699 settlers with an average of RM250 to RM500 per month.
At the event, Felda Jengka 25 in Pahang, was named the recipient of the Felda Excellence Award 2022, which awards them RM1mil in cash, while five individuals were named the recipients of the Tokoh Generasi 2021 Award, including Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah, who hails from Felda Wilayah Kuantan.