Kunak settlers urged to diversify economic activities
Published on: Saturday, December 14, 2019
By: Ibrahim Tabir
KUNAK: Settlers in Tanah Rancangan Lormalong here are encouraged to engage in other economic activities to supplement their income in addition to revenue from oil palm cultivation.
Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB) General Manager, Syaheddrul R. Joddari said Additional Economic Activities (AET) is a method that helps settlers venture into other enterprises to help increase their income.
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He said activities like kelulut honey, capsicum plantation, swiftlets and chicken egg laying business are among things which they can look into.
“The best projects with the potential to increase settlers income will be picked to be developed,” he said after officiating a meet-and-greet session between SLDB and settlers in the area, at Kg Lormalong, here, Thursday.
He said settlers are also encouraged to engage in replanting of matured oil palm as a long-term plan.
“SLDB welcomes settlers who are willing and ready to undertake the replanting initiative and hope for more participation,” he said.
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On the programme, he said it is part of strengthening ties with settlers who have lived in the area for over 50 years since it was opened in 1968.
The area opened with about 71 early settlers in the 1960s.
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On a different note, he said SLDB will assist 11 settlers in the area who have yet to obtain land titles, adding that it is part of their commitment to ensure settlers get what is rightfully theirs.
He also wants to see SLDB move forward in assisting rural settlers develop and at the same time become an institution with integrity.
Meanwhile, SLDB Business and Community Development Unit Senior Executive, Hanizah Han said a total of 27 participants comprising settlers took part in the replanting programme which was slot into the chicken egg laying project.
“The chicken egg laying project is an AET programme carried out in groups by settlers in Lormalong. It is for them to generate additional income instead of depending entirely on oil palm alone,” she said.
The chicken egg laying project started last year with the construction of four chicken coops which can accommodate 500 chickens each.
She said the AET funds/grants was obtained from the Federal Rural Development Ministry channelled to SLDB to assist settlers involved in the economic activity.
The chicken egg laying project grant was obtained in 2016, but only started its operations last year.
A total of RM258,000 has been allocated for the project. It involves preparing a chicken coop site which was once an area for oil palm cultivation, building the chicken coop, supply essentials such as water tanks, power supply, chicks, chicken feed, and vaccine, among others.
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