Day: October 24, 2021

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Ever imagine getting a bird’s eye-view of the federal capital from an altitude of 141 metres above sea level?

Believe it or not, it it will be breathtaking as you can also enjoy the panoramic views of the city of Kuala Lumpur, including the Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur Tower and Tun Razak Exchange Tower.

This view can be experienced from the Forest Skywalk or Jejantas Rimba at the Kepong Botanical Garden, which is supervised by the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM).

The skywalk has been re-opened to the public since last Oct 16 after it was closed for more than a year due to COVID-19 pandemic

FRIM director-general Dr Ismail Parlan said in line with the transition phase of the National Recovery Plan, the institute had made the necessary preparations to receive visitors at the latest attraction in the city, which is about 20 kilometres from the city centre.

Advance reservation through online booking is required, with only 160 visitors allowed day.

“The bridge was opened to the public on Aug 31 last year and within 35 days of its opening, attracted more than 12,000 visitors.

“So in line with the current situation, we are improving the system by introducing advance online booking to avoid congestion and ensure physical distancing can be observed,” he told Bernama.

Ismail said the 250-meter long aluminium flyover, which is an environmentally friendly structure, is equipped with safety features and built at a cost of RM3.5 million

It is connected to eight towers with different heights, raging from 18 metres to 50 metres, which also offer views of the lake and the greenery of the jungle, he added.

He said only five individuals were allowed to be on the bridge at a time and visitors also had to wait for their turn to climb the stairs to go to the skybridge for safety purposes.

“I hope this facility will also help increase public awareness and appreciation of the importance of forests in overcoming the issue of climate change and share the responsibility of caring for nature,” he added.

Those keen to experience being on the skybridge and getting a view of the greens at the Kepong Botanical Garden, as well as the view of the federal capital could make an early booking on the FRIM website.

The ticket is between RM8 and RM15 and it is open from 8.30 am to 3.30 pm.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PONTIAN, Oct 24 — The Monsoon Season Aid of RM300 a month will be paid to rubber smallholders and tappers registered with the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) next month.

Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng said the aid would be given for two months to some 300,000 smallholders who own rubber estates of less than 2.5 hectares.

“We will give the assistance in November and December involving a total payment of RM192 million.

“This is a programme by the government whereby all the while during this season, the government will provide aid at the end of the year,” he told reporters after presenting 10,000 COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test Kit to the community in Tanjung Piai, here today.

Wee who is also Tanjung Piai Member of Parliament said the initiative also aimed to reduce the burden of rubber smallholders as the monsoon season is the period when they are most affected.

Commenting on the proposal to increase the floor price of scrap rubber from RM2.50 a kilogramme (kg) currently to RM3.50 per kg, Wee said the matter is still under review.

“The ministry has taken note of the proposal so that the rubber smallholders can increase their business. However, this matter must be viewed seriously, besides examining the government’s financial ability,” he said.

On Oct 19, Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid was reported as saying the proposal to increase the floor price of scrap rubber from the current RM2.50 per kg to RM3.50 per kg will prevent smallholders from switching to other commodity crops.

Mahdzir said that if no action were taken to raise the floor price, the rubber smallholders would switch to planting other crops with higher prices, especially oil palm, which would then result in the country losing rubber commodity producers.

Meanwhile, on Oct 15, Risda had proposed to the government to consider raising the floor price of scrap rubber to RM3.50 per kg beginning January 2022 to enable more rubber tappers to exit the poverty level.

Risda chairman Datuk Mohd Salim Mohd Sharif was quoted as saying that the present floor price of scrap rubber at RM2.50 per kg was far lower than oil palm, which could fetch up to RM1,100 per tonne, which creates a huge gap between the operators of rubber and oil palm estates.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency