KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 -- A total of RM1.7 billion will be allocated in the form of subsidies, assistance and incentives to farmers and fishermen under Budget 2021.

Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, who announced this when tabling the budget in the Dewan Rakyat today, said the subsidies, among others, would involve RM570 million for the price of paddy and RM960 million for paddy planting incentives which is expected to benefit more than 300,000 farmers nationwide.

To assist rubber smallholders during low market prices, Tengku Zafrul said the allocation for Rubber Production Incentive would be increased from RM150 million to RM300 million to help stabilised the income of 150,000 rubber smallholders.

Apart from that, the living allowance for fishermen would also be raised from RM250 to RM300 starting next year, in line with Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's announcement last September.

He explained that the allocation of RM151 million will benefit more than 40,000 fishermen.

Meanwhile, to help FELDA settlers, he said a total of RM400 million would be allocated to write off the interest of the settlers’ debts and provide development programmes.

Tengku Zafrul said the government is also planning several key initiatives for the agriculture sector and food industry including the extension of the Community Farming Programme to the semi-urban and rural communities with an allocation of RM30 million.

This programme which provide equipments such as fertigation kits and crop media up to RM500 per individual or RM50,000 per community is expected to benefit 60,000 participants, he said.

Others are the implementation of the Organic Agriculture Project as a  community project with an allocation of RM50 million, which is expected to benefit 1,000 communities as well as the implementation of the e-Satellite Farm Programme with an  allocation of RM10 million in the form of matching grants up to RM30,000 to the Pertubuhan Peladang Kawasan (PPK) for the purpose of purchasing agriculture equipment.

-- BERNAMA