CAMERON Highlands is famous for its cool weather, strawberries, and fruit and vegetable plantations. But not everything is glossy at this hill station, especially for farmers.
Apart from overdevelopment, illegal plantations and landslides, the top-most concern for farmers there is land issue – the inability to own the land they farm on and renewal of the temporary operating licences (TOL).
Checks with local land officers found that from the 712 sq km of land in Cameron Highlands, only 3% of the land – or 3,327ha divided into 2,100 plots – have been issued TOL.
Even though the TOLs have to be renewed annually, every four years, farmers have to reapply for the licence and the land office re-evaluates their applications.
Another 9% of Cameron Highlands land, or 6,175ha, have been issued farming grants (geran pertanian), and these generally face no renewal problems. – January 24, 2019.
A worker weeding at a farm in Cameron Highlands, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, January 24, 2019.A worker spraying fertiliser at a farm in Cameron Highlands, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, January 24, 2019.A migrant worker harvesting cabbages at a farm in Cameron Highlands, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, January 24, 2019.Rose plants are placed on a shelf to fully utilise the space. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, January 24, 2019.A worker sorting out roses at a flower farm in Cameron Highlands, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, January 24, 2019.Plastic canopy covering a vegetable farm in Kg Raja, Cameron Highlands. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, January 24, 2019.A farmer working at his vegetable farm in Cameron Highlands, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, January 24, 2019.A worker returning to his quarters at Cameron Highlands, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, January 24, 2019.Tourists buying Cameron Highlands strawberries from a roadside stall. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, January 24, 2019.An Orang Asli kampung partly converted into a vegetable farm at Terisu in Cameron Highlands. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, January 24, 2019.Orang Asli youngsters looking at the plantation area surrounding their homes in Cameron Highlands, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, January 24, 2019.Land cleared for a vegetable farm at Terisu in Cameron Highlands. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, January 24, 2019.
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