SALCRA ANNOUNCES RM33.7 MLN TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO 12,994 PARTICIPANTS

KUCHING, Jan 26  -- Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA) has approved RM33.7 million net proceed payment (NPP) for 2020 for distribution among its 12,994 oil palm plantation programme participants.

In a statement today, it said the payment would be made over two phases with the first phase, involving RM16.8 million or 50 per cent of the total payment, to be credited into eligible participants’ accounts by the end of January while the balance would be credited in July.

It said the NPP for 2020 is influenced by the low crude palm oil (CPO) price which reached the RM3,000 per tonne level in September, the COVID-19 pandemic, workforce count and the weather conditions.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the plantation operations because the entry of the harvesting workforce, the majority of which were from foreign countries, had been restricted in addition to 2020 also experiencing high rainfalls compared to previous years,” it said.

Besides that, it said replanting activities had reduced matured plantation areas to only 28,690 hectares, including 5,205 hectares of young mature areas and 9,639 hectares old mature.

It said of the whole producing areas, 14 per cent of mature areas producing yields of more than 20 tonnes per hectare and 25 per cent yielding between 15 to 18 tonnes per hectare while the rest of 61 per cent is producing less than 15 tonnes per hectare which comprised the young mature and to-be replanted areas.

SALCRA said it is confident that its plantation activities would improve this year.

It is also hoping the CPO price will continue to trade higher this year and the COVID-19 pandemic could be curbed to ensure smoother plantation operations.

SALCRA plantation participants who need further information can contact SALCRA Landowners’ Development Department at 082-621923 during office hours.

-- BERNAMA