KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 – Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has accused the federal government of “forcing” Kedah to remain impoverished by maintaining its agricultural land, particularly paddy fields, instead of allowing commercial development. Highlighting the economic disparity, Sanusi pointed out that land tax for paddy fields is RM15 per hectare compared to RM1,000 per hectare for industrial land, resulting in substantial revenue losses for the state.
To address this issue, Sanusi has proposed an annual compensation of RM200 million from Putrajaya to offset the losses incurred from preserving paddy land, which is crucial for national food security. He argued that with increasing demand for residential, industrial, and commercial development on these lands, such compensation is reasonable. Sanusi emphasized that the state hopes the federal government will share the responsibility of ensuring food security while balancing economic growth and development needs.
