The government allocated a total of RM522.35 million to small rubber plantation owners since the launching of the Rubber Production Incentive, or Insentif Pengeluaran Getah (IPG), from 2015 up to October 2024, spanning a period of nearly ten years, said Minister of Plantation and Commodities Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani during the parliament query session today.

The programme has distributed aids to 235,414 small plantation owners, added the Minister.

The IPG scheme has safeguarded the welfare of small plantation operators especially in times of rubber price decline, ensuring that their income remains at a set level.

Starting from Jan 1, 2024, the activation pricing level will be raised to RM3.00 per kilogram, with an allocation ceiling of RM400 million, the Minister said.

The SMR rubber commodity categories at the Malaysian Rubber Exchange ranged from 911.50 sen/kg to 1146 sen/kg as at 12:00 noon Dec 4. As at 4:17pm Malaysian local time Dec 4, the international market price for rubber commodity stood at 196 cents/kg, or about 871 sen/kg.

The Minister also noted that under the Abandoned Rubber Areas Consolidation Programme, 420,000 hectares of unproductive land lots nationwide are reutilised in stages through collaboration with agencies like the rubber plantation development agency RISDA, Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB), Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), FELCRA Bhd which undertakes matters related to federal land consolidation and rehabilitation, and various cooperatives using a cluster approach to enhance management and production efficiency.