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KENINGAU: The Sook Sub-District Bumiputera Rubber Farmer Association (PPGBDKS) called on the government to intervene to address the problem of fall of rubber prices which hindered the livelihood of farmers due to rising prices of necessities.

Its Chairman, Albert Godungki Modingal (pic) said the average farmer’s income per day was around RM45 to RM50 from producing 20kg of rubber.

“But the cost of living is doubling, much higher than the income of the members,” he said in a statement Wednesday.

Albert said the average cost of a farmer’s living is RM21 per day and can reach up to RM105 a day if he or she has a large family and this does not include other needs such as spending on children for school, electricity bills, water and so on.

 “In the farm area, farmers need to use pesticides and lawn mowers to clean the farm and to buy fertilisers and pesticides.

“Imagine the high cost of dependence on every farmer who earns only about RM50 a day compared to the high cost of living. The Government needs to understand the careers of rubber farmers who have to sacrifice their energy, time, money and work hard for six to seven years before tapping rubber, ”he said.

Albert said farmers also had to deal with various challenges from tapping rubber as early as at 4am or 2am to avoid the sun’s heat causing the rubber latex to quickly dry or the rubber tree to stop producing latex.

He said other problems that many farmers often face are falling sick, the rainy season and the prolonged drought.

 “Farmers are the major contributors to productivity and raw materials in the rubber-based manufacturing industry that drives the economic growth and income of the country.

 “Over the years, farmers have been left out of special schemes on the rise in rubber prices and it seems that the contribution of rubber farmers in the economic development is unappreciated, and the hardships of the farmers received no sympathy from anyone,” he said.

Albert proposed to the government to enact special laws to establish a price increase scheme for rubber.

He said if the economy and the standard of living of the rubber farmers were stable with a strong economic, the government would no longer have to provide various special funds to farmers because they are capable self-sufficiency.

He said public servants and private sector workers get a yearly wage increase and there is no reason why rubber farmers are denied the right to enjoy such increase through the adjustment of rubber prices.