KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has urged the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) to explore the rubberwood-based furniture industry to increase the income of smallholders.
“There are new branches that can be explored through smart collaborations with furniture companies, for example.
“With the rapid development of technology, the rubberwood-based furniture sector also has great potential to be pioneered by RISDA, RISDA Holdings and its subsidiaries,” the Deputy Prime Minister said in a posting on his Facebook page today.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, said RISDA is now facing huge challenges to further improve the source of income of 552,543 smallholders who depend on rubber crops.
Among them are frequent rain, price instability, lack of manpower and competition with other commodities.
However, despite these challenges, he said that rubber is still an important commodity in the country’s development, and so does the role of RISDA as the coordinating agency.
As such, Ahmad Zahid said that RISDA needs to ensure the availability of complete rubber industry data and effective economic analysis methods to produce a sustainable organisational strategic plan.
