Ministry Mulls Adoption Of Cooperative System To Help Independent Smallholders

PENAMPANG (Sabah), Aug 2 (Bernama) -- The Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry is looking at adopting the cooperative system to liaise with independent smallholders of different commodities while assisting them in increasing productivity.

Its minister, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, said the ministry has discussed this as one of the ways or options to re-organiss independent smallholders under the 10th Malaysia Plan.

"This is because the majority of the independent smallholders, like those planting cocoa, are not attached with Felda or Felcra or other agencies.

"We are looking at how we can assist them, and we feel that perhaps we should adopt a system where all the independent farmers in one locality will become members of a cooperative movement and work through this cooperative," he told a media briefing after the nationwide launch of 'Program Koko untuk Rakyat' here Monday.

He said under the suggestion, the ministry would look at how it could assign an officer to look after a number of cooperatives and thus assisted each to increase productivity of their respective commodity.

"This will involve independent smallholders for all commodities that we are in charge of, such as oil palm, rubber, cocoa and pepper," he said. — Bernama

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