SHAH ALAM, 18 Apr: The State Government is planning to place the industrial sector in rural areas like Sabak Bernam and Sekinchan in effort to boost the rural economy.
The Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, said that the effort will surely open many opportunities to the young people to get jobs without having to migrate to urban areas.
He said that operators and manufacturers have started to react positively by taking into account the infrastructure and facilities that will be developed in these areas, despite it still being in the pipeline.
“They predict that when the Banting-Taiping road is completed in three to five years, Sabak Bernam and its surrounding area will certainly develop.
“But we need to ensure that the development we would like to carry out there does not affect the paddy plantation land, which is 19,000 hectares, so that income from rice yields are not affected,” he said at the Selangor State Assembly (DNS) today.
He was responding to a question from the State Opposition Leader, Datuk Shamsudin Lias (BN-Sungai Burong) about the State Government’s plans to improve the economy in rural areas.
Abdul Khalid (PKR-Port Klang) said that the State Government is also considering plans to equip the houses of farmers in rural areas with complete agricultural equipment.
“Like in Taiwan, every farmer has their home equipped with tools like generators, tractors and other tools to improve agricultural productivity.
“However, the issue of investment needs to be taken into account because the price of agricultural products is volatile; sometimes up and sometimes down. SO many are afraid to invest,” he said.
