KOTA KINABALU: Some 15,000 rice farmers from the upper interior of Sabah received RM13mil of assistance in the form of fertiliser and weed control as well as cash aid from the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry through the Farmers’ Organisation Authority (LPP).
Its Deputy Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup (pic) said the growers were from Nabawan, Keningau, Tenom and Tambunan districts and it was done through the federal paddy fertiliser scheme, paddy production incentive scheme and Phase 1 of the special cash aid 2024.
It was part of the RM54.4mil assistance and incentive allocated to paddy growers state-wide this year, he said after presenting the aid during a ceremony in Nabawan recently.
“Besides these incentives and help from the government, our ministry has also provided an allocation of RM4.1mil for Sabah in the form of development grant under LPP fourth rolling plan for 2024.
“The grant will be used to finance development projects of farmers’ associations and agriculture entrepreneurs to increase agro-based food production in Sabah,” he said in a statement here on Friday (Oct 25).
He assured that the Ministry will continue with the presentation of subsidies, incentives and aids for growers nationwide next year.
This include the increase of paddy subsidy and growers’ incentive from a total of RM2.46bil this year, to RM2.6 bil in 2025, which is a 5.5% growth.
He also took the opportunity to remind paddy growers in Sabah to participate in the Skim Tanaman Takaful Padi (STTP) which offered takaful coverage of a maximum RM3,000 for each hectare in a season for paddy crops which have suffered damage due to disasters.
This initiative was due to the joint effort of the Ministry and Agrobank to handle risks faced by farmers exposed to disaster threats, including disease and pest risks with better compensation.
