BENTONG: A total of 231 farmers have been operating on their farm plots here that have been described as the “pulse” of ginger farming in the country since 2008.
However, when a group of individuals, armed with land surveying equipment, visited ginger farms at Kampung Bukit Tinggi here on a regular basis early this year, the farmers sensed something amiss.
To worsen matters, they did not receive the reminder notice from the state Forestry Department to renew their land permit, which they have been paying annually since 2008.
Since the district Forestry Department could not provide the farmers with a satisfactory explanation, they held a dialogue with a state executive council member, who confirmed that the farmers had to move out by next year as the land had been approved for private development.
Bentong Smallholders’ Association chairman Chaw Ngok Ling said farmers at the dialogue asserted that they were not prepared to move out as they had spent a lot of money and energy working on their farms.
He said the farmers over the years had raised funds amounting to hundreds of thousands of ringgit to clear the area, make paths, install pipes for water supply and build roads. The work took three years before they could plant ginger.
“We were informed that a new piece of land had been allocated for us and the developer (who is taking over the land) will bear the cost to install the basic infrastructure.
“The new area is not suitable. Most of the land around Bukit Tinggi is being used for farming, but no one is doing any activity on that piece of land, except for some farmers planting spinach on a small scale,” he said.
Chaw said they met Forestry Department officers, who said they were only doing their job and the decision concerning the land came under the jurisdiction of the state government.
He said before operating on the current land, the farmers had been forced to move on six occasions since the 1970s as they were farming illegally.
“We were operating in smaller groups and the authorities often cut the ginger trees since we were doing it without approval in Janda Baik and here.
“In 2008, the state government awarded a piece of land to the farmers for vegetable and ginger farming, which was a relief for many of us.
“The location is fertile, moist and rich with tropical soil, allowing for ginger cultivation. The surrounding area has clean and cool air around the 23°C range. Although farmers in other parts of Pahang plant ginger, the Bentong ginger is special as it is rich in nutrients, large in size and remains fresh for about a month (after harvest),” he said, adding that Bentong ginger was sold at RM20 per kg.
Chaw said a majority of the farmers here were above 75 years and had led hard lives, working under the sun and rain to ensure a continuous supply of ginger all year long.
“If they were to lose their livelihood, who is going to hire them? What about the 231 families who rely on the income from the farms for a living and the younger generation who returned from the city to help their elderly parents on the farms?
“We hope the authorities will listen to us and hold dialogues with us so that we can contribute to agro-tourism in Kampung Bukit Tinggi. We have adopted sustainable farming methods.
“We are unsure why the authorities want development projects to be carried out on the hillslope here.”