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KUALA NERANG: Smallholders under the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) will benefit if the federal government allows the export of ketum leaves, says rural development minister Mahdzir Khalid.

He said if the export of ketum leaves was made lawful then it would not be an offence for rubber smallholders to plant ketum to earn extra money.

The federal government should make a decision on the matter as many studies had shown that ketum leaves contained medicinal properties, Mahdzir said after attending a Risda Prihatin community programme today.

He was commenting on a suggestion by Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Md Nor, who recently urged the federal government to allow the state to export ketum leaves to Thailand for medicinal purposes.

On the Risda Prihatin programme, Mahdzir said 330 school students from rubber smallholder families in the district had received school aid totalling RM66,000.

“Risda helps as best as it can to ease the burden of smallholder communities to prepare for their children’s education.”