TANAH RATA: The Agriculture and Agro Based Industries ministry wants the Pahang state government to increase to 30-years the temporary occupying lease (TOL) period for farmers here.
Its deputy Minister, Sim Tze Tzin said the move would enable the government to successfully implement agricultural practices for the farmers in the hill station.
He adds that many a farmers toiling TOL land here for agricultural practices are facing difficulties in expanding their activities and this in turn has affected the economic development in the area.
“In Cameron Highlands 80 per cent of the farmers are faced with this problem. This has been going on for the past 60 years, but the problem is yet to be resolved.
“We (MOA_ have a vision and a clear direction for Cameron Highlands and as such we want the state government to have the determination and undertake a new approach to resolve this problem,” he said in a press conference, here, today.
He adds that it was necessary for the state government to pay attention to the issue, as land matters is under the purview of the state government.
“We had taken up the issue for quite sometime but there had been no response from the state government.
“If the TOL issue is not resolved, farmers would not be able to plan and implement their activities in the long term,” he said.
Sim said delay in the renewal of the TOL for example would make it tough for the farmers to obtain bank loans, application to hire foreign workers as well as implement any new innovative programmes aimed at increasing their agriculture productivity.
“If the TOL period is short, they would also not bring in any new technologies, attract local investors and the situation would remain stagnant without any progress,” he said.
Sim said first time TOL applicants are given a three year period, before their lease is renewed annually.
“The problem that they are faced for example let’s say that they want to renew their lease in January, there is no guarantee that it would be renewed. There were some cases where it was not renewed for some five years. How then could they go about with their farming activities ?
“There were cases where it (TOL) could not be renewed, when suddenly he (the farmer) is slapped with the quit rent. As such the farmers here are faced with difficulty in terms of planning. They are also faced with difficulty in obtaining loans,” he adds.
Sim said a committee comprising various quarters including MOA, state government, related agencies such as MARDI as well as non governmental organisations had been established last August to resolve the predicament faced by the farmers.
On land being illegally opened up for farming purposes, Sim said that it has nothing to do with farmers managing their agricultural practices through the the TOL method and the government would not compromise on parties opening up land illegally for agriculture purposes.
“There is enforcement in regards to illegal land opening, which we are against. We are talking about land which had been developed legally,” he said.
On Saturday, Pahang Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said today, 24,007.4 hectares or 3.2 per cent of the total land in Cameron Highlands had been given to farmers to be developed via TOL
He said the state government was also prepared to assist farmers in the area and is willing to provide the necessary aid, provided they follow the rules and regulations.