ALOR STAR: The special incentive and provisions for farmers, fishermen and smallholders in Budget 2020 will help ease their financial burden while improving their quality of life, says Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Tun Mahathir (pix).
He said the Kedah government understood the Federal government’s difficulty in preparing the growth-based budget due to the constraints surrounding RM1.13 trillion in debt inherited from the previous government.
“(However) the Federal government’s approach to managing the budget in a prudent way (will) ensure that no wastage and mismanagement will occur,“ he said in a statement via WhatsApp here today.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng when tabling Budget 2020 in Parliament today said the living allowance for fishermen would be increased from RM200 to RM250 a month.
In a bid to help farmers, fishermen and smallholders diversify their source of income, Lim said the government had also allocated RM150 million to promote integrated farming including crops such as chilli, pineapple, coconut, watermelon and bamboo.
Meanwhile, Mukhriz said the state government was also pleased with the additional allocation of RM50 million to encourage public-private cooperation for the Kota Perdana Special Border Economic Zone in Bukit Kayu Hitam.
“The budget deficit this time was inevitable, as the people are hoping for development that will benefit them,“ he said. — Bernama
