Help for Badly-Hit Tobacco Farmers to Switch Crop

Source from:  thestar.com.my 03/18/2005

PUTRAJAYA: Hit by the national anti-smoking drive, about 100,000 people dependent on tobacco-growing will get RM10.5mil in interest-free loans and grants to help them switch to other crops. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the income of these people had been badly affected due to the Government's drive to reduce the number of smokers and the increase in taxes for cigarettes. "The Government has agreed to help them increase their income through integrated farming. "They will be allowed to grow other crops, including corn and padi, apart from tobacco." He told reporters this after chairing the Cabinet Committee meeting on raising the income of smallholders here yesterday. "A total of RM10.5mil will be made available this year through the Tobacco Board which will disburse interest-free loans up to 70% and the rest in the form of grants," he said. Some 11,000 families or 60,000 people in Kelantan, Terengganu, Perlis and Kedah are involved in the tobacco-growing industry. The rest are curers and those working in tobacco-related factories. Najib also said that the committee agreed to allocate RM84.5mil to implement several programmes to help black pepper farmers in Sarawak. He said that out of the amount, RM14.5mil would be disbursed under a replanting scheme in which farmers were encouraged to grow a better variety of black pepper. On the current controversy over factories abusing the halal logo by using non-halal casings for sausage production, Najib said he had left the matter to Jakim and Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to handle. (See page 16) "It is up to them to determine a foolproof method to ensure the incident does not recur. This has incurred the wrath of Muslims," he added. Enditem