SUNGKAI, July 17 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today announced "duit raya" of RM32,313,300 for 112,635 Felda settlers throughout the country.

A mock cheque for the raya contribution was handed out to each settlers' leader from the Felda land schemes, here, today.

Najib said settlers who were directly under Felda would each receive RM300 and those not, RM150 each.

"Previously, the settlers depended only on their farm produce for income but today, their income is derived from various sources.

"On my trip here, I was mentally counting the other sources of income that each settler have including the annual bonus, duit raya and windfall, which was paid out three times," he said before some 7,000 settlers at the national-level Ihya' Rahmat Ramadan Warga Felda programme at Felda Gunung Besout 2, here, tonight.

Najib also announced the building of 420 units of houses under the Felda New Generation Housing (PGBF) scheme on a 19.14ha site for the Besout cluster, besides a RM900,000 multipurpose hall in Felda Besout 2.

He said the benefits and change that Felda settlers enjoyed today were the result of the struggles of the Barisan Nasional-led government.

Najib said during the Global Smart Partnership Dialogue in Tanzania recently, most of the countries which attended the dialogue received their independence about the same Malaysia that did, but they were still discussing about developing agriculture in their rural areas and about basic facilities.

"In our country, these have largely become history. We have been able to successfully carry out our rural development agenda. This is no fantasy as we can see it with our own eyes."

Najib also rejected the opposition's claim two years ago that Felda was bankrupt, stating that the agency's position was instead increasingly strong and solid.

"Felda is not bankrupt. The value of Felda Group's accumulated shares including its listed company's is more than RM8 billion," he said.

Najib said Felda's success was also proven by its owning a factory in Canada, a restaurant in Mecca, hotels in the Malaysian peninsula and Sabah, and land in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

"We have other plans for the future. We hope that one day, Felda will be bigger and stronger at the international level," he said.

Also present at the event were Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and Felda chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad.- BERNAMA