The Malaysian Insight

CAMERON Highlands is famous for its cool weather, strawberries, and fruit and vegetable plantations. But not everything is glossy at this hill station, especially for farmers.

Apart from overdevelopment, illegal plantations and landslides, the top-most concern for farmers there is land issue – the inability to own the land they farm on and renewal of the temporary operating licences (TOL).

Checks with local land officers found that from the 712 sq km of land in Cameron Highlands, only 3% of the land – or 3,327ha divided into 2,100 plots – have been issued TOL.

Even though the TOLs have to be renewed annually, every four years, farmers have to reapply for the licence and the land office re-evaluates their applications.

Another 9% of Cameron Highlands land, or 6,175ha, have been issued farming grants (geran pertanian), and these generally face no renewal problems. – January 24, 2019.