The payment will be made in two instalments — RM300 at the end of this year and the remaining RM300 early next year, he said in a statement.

Lim said the Cabinet agreed on Dec 12 that RM164,783,400 be allocated to provide the aid to the Risda rubber smallholders whose livelihood has been affected by the monsoon season.

“The hardship of the Risda rubber smallholders received the attention of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who approved the monsoon season aid,” he said.

Of the 274,639 smallholders, 255,997 are owner-entrepreneurs who work their own smallholdings while 18,642 are tappers who work on land not bigger than 2.5ha.

Lim said the finance ministry will channel the allocation to the economic affairs mnistry, which has jurisdiction over Risda.