14 companies approved to rehabilitate 7,500ha of abandoned rubber estates

The Malaysian Rubber Board has approved the participation of 14 estate management companies (EMCs) in the Consolidation Programme for Abandoned and Untapped Mature Rubber Areas, according to a statement released in September. This initiative aims to rehabilitate a total of 7,576 hectares of abandoned rubber estates. Since July, eight of these EMCs have already commenced phased rehabilitation works on 3,719.47 hectares of identified abandoned lands, as reported by the Plantation and Commodities Ministry in a written parliamentary reply.

The ministry's response to a question posed by Zahari Kechik (PN-Jeli) regarding the programme's implementation to boost rubber production in Malaysia, reveals that the programme, set to run from 2025 to 2027, encompasses estates owned by government agencies and their subsidiaries, private estates, rubber forest plantations, and smallholder plots.

The programme's primary goal is to rehabilitate 3,000 hectares of abandoned and untapped mature rubber areas by 2027, with the aim of revitalizing the land for production and boosting the country's natural rubber output. Upon rehabilitation, it is anticipated that rubber production will gradually increase to an additional target of at least 4,500 metric tonnes of natural rubber annually.

Furthermore, the programme is projected to generate employment opportunities for rural communities, particularly for younger individuals, while offering prospects for cooperatives and rubber entrepreneurs to engage as EMCs, the ministry added.