Risda continues to promote ketum cultivation for medicinal purposes

LANGKAWI: The Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) will continue to convince the government to allow smallholders in the country to grow ketum trees.
According to its chairman Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin, the cultivation of ketum could increase smallholders' income as the high medicinal value of the leaves has been acknowledged by experts from India and the United States.
"We have submitted an application to the National Poison Centre. They will be processing (the application) and God willing they will give us the approval, " he said after presenting aid to Langkawi smallholders and taxi drivers today.
By the terms of this application he said, the smallholders involved would have to be licensed before they could carry out ketum cultivation and the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) would act as the controlling body, to curb abuse of the crops.
"Our (Risda) agenda is to harvest and sell the leaves for medical research, not to produce ketum juice or other forms of consumption. Please don't get me wrong," Zahidi added. — Bernama