NCIA wishes for more plantation land

GEORGE TOWN: The Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) hopes to get more land for plantation purposes and special tax incentives in Budget 2017.

CEO Datuk Redza Rafiq Abdul Razak said it needs more aid from the government to enhance the wellbeing of the people in the northern region, particularly the bottom 40% household income group.

“Our focus is to intensify education and human capital initiatives among our youth in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), and this calls for more tax incentives to encourage companies to participate in the said initiatives,” he told Bernama here recently.

Redza Rafiq said NCIA also needs more land for padi planting to contribute to the country’s production of the crop. He noted the need for more equipment and machinery among padi planters to help them increase their production.

NCIA also hopes the government will introduce a soft landing programme for small and medium enterprises in the region to help them face the current economic challenges.