By Unus Tambi

It has always been the policy of the government to accord priority to group application in the alienation of State land, be it in the town or rural areas, for agricultural purposes. The rationale is simple; the government wants to ensure that the land alienated is fully utilised to benefit a larger number of people in the community.

One of the conditions in the application for State land is that those applying must seek the assistance of agencies such as Salcra (Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority), LCDA (Land Custody and Development Authority) and Felcra (Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority) to help develop their land on a joint-venture basis. Participation of these agencies is crucial given that they have the necessary capital, technical expertise and management know-how that can help to develop land on large-scale basis.

Presently, the government encourages those applying for land to embark on cultivation of oil palm or sago, depending on suitability of soil, with the relevant government agencies. In Mukah and Betong Divisions, sago is cultivated on joint-venture basis with LCDA whilst in other parts of the State, oil palm plantation projects are opened up with the assistance of Salcra, Felcra and LCDA.

Such joint-venture between applicant and government agencies is viewed as win-win for all parties, i.e. applicant, government agencies and the government. One visible benefit is profit returns and bonuses. On top of that, applicant will obtain their land title after 20 to 30 years, depending on the terms and conditions in the agreement. In addition, these government agencies will be responsible for providing infrastructure facilities such as electricity, water and roads.  Such co-operation between the community and agencies will prevent land from being left idle.

One of the frequently asked questions is how to apply for land. The applicants will need to furnish the Land and Survey Department with their particulars and information of the applied land. A plan indicating the applied area must also be attached and can be purchased at a nominal fee from Land and Survey Department. Processing of application is free but it is the responsibility of applicants to ensure their application is complete so that processing can be expedited. Application will be processed and reviewed at the Divisional Office of Land and Survey and if the land applied for has not been alienated or needed for planning purposes, the application will be recommended to the Headquarters of Land and Survey for approval.

To date, about 14,000 hectares of land had been approved for ladang rakyat. Ladang rakyat is a concept mooted to allow government agencies such as LCDA, Felcra and Salcra to develop private or native customary land and the division of profits is 90 percent for landowners and 10 percent for the agencies, again, depending on the terms and conditions in the agreement.

In addition, a total of 6,534 hectares of land had been approved for ladang sejahtera. A number of ladang sejahtera can be found in Samarahan, Sri Aman and Mukah Divisions brought about by the agropolitan project introduced back in 2008. The concept behind ladang sejahtera is that the government gives land to agencies to be developed and profits are shared among the participants of the project. Depending on the terms and conditions in the agreement, the land will be returned to participants of the project after 20 to 30 years but participants can also opt to extend the joint-venture tenure.

In any land alienated for agricultural projects, the government charges premium that starts from RM200 per acre. The premium will be borne by the agency appointed to develop the approved land.

To sum it up, the value of the land depends on development over land and not the size of the land. Hence, the government ensures that any land alienated is harnessed to the fullest because only then the people will reap benefits from the economic spin-offs of land development such as creation of job opportunities and infrastructure facilities.

The writer is the Superintendent of Land and Survey Miri Division and can be contacted at unust@sarawak.gov.my.