Govt looking out for commodity players

PONTIAN: The Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry will take the best possible measures to help industry players, including smallholders, affected by the current hot spell.

Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng said this was necessary as the commodities industry is a major source of income for Malaysia.

“This is to help their income in the present hot and dry weather, especially the rubber and oil palm sectors that involve many smallholders across the country.

“We at the ministry are very concerned about this and will adopt measures to help them overcome (the effects of) the adverse weather, ” he said.

Wee, who is also Tanjung Piai MP, said this when met after he and Pontian MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan received their Covid-19 vaccination jabs at the Pontian health clinic yesterday.

He was asked to comment on what measures the government is taking to help local commodity players in facing the present hot spell.

Among the measures being considered is a subsidy to make sure that the value of their goods does not drop lower than the floor price.

“As an example, the floor price for rubber stands at RM2.50 per kg and if the market price is lower than that, the government will subsidise it to help stabilise their income, ” he said.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department recently said that the country was experiencing the final phase of the northeast monsoon season, which is expected to continue until the middle of this month, with low rainfall projected, especially in the northern states.

Meanwhile, Wee urged the public, especially within the district and in his Tanjung Piai constituency, to register for their Covid-19 vaccinations.

“The government has set a target of getting at least 80% of the people in Malaysia vaccinated for Covid-19, and this can help break the chain of infection, ” he said.