An undated video that has been circulated shows a man claiming that the Gunung Inas area would soon be turned into the “largest durian farm ever” spanning 30,000 acres, with 500 Musang King saplings already planted.
Sanusi said that while there was infomation about 30,000 acres being cleared, state authorities were unsure if all the land comprised durian plantations.
He said investigations are being held to ascertain the latest numbers. Current records at the Kedah Forestry Department showed that only 5% or 15,380ha of forests in the state are allowed to be developed into farmed forests (ladang hutan).
Sanusi said of the 5% of the farmed forests quota, only 20% or 3,076ha have been given the green light for durian farming by the previous Kedah government prior to May 2020.
He said of the 3,076ha, about 730ha have been turned into durian farms, most of it being in Gunung Inas, southeast of Kedah.
“About a viral video that has been going around, I am made to understand that it is an old one, way before I ordered the project to stop in July last year. I don’t know who the people in the video are, or if their company has been allowed to develop the farmed forests.
“I don’t know why the video is making its rounds again. But I have asked for a detailed and current report and further action will be taken from there,” he said when contacted.
In a chronology of the Gunung Inas development, Sanusi said the cleared area in 2007 started off as a “replacement forest plantation” project by Kedah Agro Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Menteri Besar Incorporated, with another unnamed joint venture company.
When PAS took over the state government in 2008, the project was followed through by state government-linked company Kumpulan Ladang-Ladang Perbadanan Kedah Sdn Bhd. The timber produced in that forest was handed over to the state Forestry Department to be sold off via open tender.
In 2012, the area was converted to a timber latex clone (TLC) project, spanning 400 acres in its first phase as part of the Ladang Rakyat project. Dividends from the farming revenue of TLC was later given to 300 poor folks in Baling and its surrounding areas, he said.
Sanusi said when the state government changed hands to Barisan Nasional in 2013, the Ladang Rakyat project was discontinued and the TLC project was handed over to another company.
He said the TLC project was then axed for Musang King durian plantations and that from the earlier approved 12,355 acres of production forest, the cleared area expanded to 30,000 acres by 2019.
Sanusi said the company that was given the project in 2013 later sold their rights in these plantations to another company.
He said in 2019, there were many instances of flash floods and mud floods, which affected residents below the hill’s valley.
Sanusi said after he took over as the Kedah menteri besar in May last year, he ordered the company to stop all durian plantations there.
Since then, he said, the company involved in durian planting was given strict orders to replant trees in areas that are cleared to reduce soil erosion.
“Our stance is clear, all laws must be followed. Forest farming projects such as these are subject to rules under the Forestry Department, which only allows 20% of any such farm to have fruit trees. At that time in July last year, already 2,000 acres were planted with Musang King trees,” he said.