Of the 129 people arrested since the operation was launched last April, 12 cases have already been taken to court and resulted in jail sentences of up to 12 months and fines of up to RM200,000 (US$47,400) for most offenders, according to Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, the menteri besar (chief minister) of Pahang.
“These arrests reflect the Pahang government’s firm stance against those who persist in encroaching on government land,” Wan Rosdy said on Wednesday, as quoted by the New Straits Times.
Named “Ops Sekat,” the campaign aims to tackle illegal durian farming across the state’s Raub district and has gone through multiple phases.
The fourth and latest phase, which began on July 21, has so far seen 45 people detained for various offenses, and routes to the illegal farms in the Gunung Benum Forest Reserve blocked, Wan Rosdy said.
Roughly 105 hectares of durian trees in the area have also been cleared by authorities, he added.
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A Musang King Durian fruit is seen at a durian orchard in Raub, Malaysia, Nov. 21, 2021. Photo by Xinhua via AFP |
Pahang is a major growing region and Raub, in particular, boasts around 150,000 durian trees sprawling across 2,000 hectares of state land. There in the district known as Malaysia’s durian capital and dubbed “Musang King Durian Town,” illegal durian farms on government-owned land have existed for decades, according to The Straits Times.
Disputes over the issue have recently escalated after an earlier phase of Ops Sekat saw more than 1,000 durian trees cut down in April, triggering backlash from unlicensed growers and Raub’s Member of Parliament, Chow Yu Hui, as reported by local media.
The extent of the problem came to light in May, when it was revealed that 10,521 hectares in Raub had been illegally occupied. The revelation prompted the Sultan of Pahang, Abdullah Ahmad Shah, to express his outrage, saying the situation “makes my blood boil.”
The land encroachment in the district reflects a broader issue in Pahang, where the Sultan has disclosed that close to 14,500 hectares of state-owned land have been taken over illegally for the cultivation of crops, including oil palm, rubber, and durian.
Of that total, almost 6,000 hectares lie within permanent forest reserves. The Sultan has called for steady and decisive enforcement and vowed to continue raising his voice on the matter, according to the Malay Mail.
In his Wednesday statement, Wan Rosdy stressed that encroaching, farming, or profiting from state land or forest reserves without authorization is a criminal offense.
“The Pahang government will not tolerate illegal land encroachment or durian plantations in Raub. No one is above the law and firm action will continue until these activities are completely eradicated,” national news agency Bernama quoted him as saying.
In recent years, the stinky fruit has become an increasingly important part of Malaysia’s economy, with exports soaring more than 250% from RM321.2 million in 2018 to RM1.14 billion in 2022. The figure is projected to reach RM1.5 billion this year.
