Group reveals Felda's 'cheating trick' using fine print

Harakahdaily

Oct 17: PKR-linked pressure group Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) has told of how settlers were duped by embattled Federal Land Development Authority’s factories over the grading of palm oil using duplicate receipts with a hidden clause. SAMM’s Felda settlers and rural bureau spokesman Azlan Ishak published the two receipts on its website, showing the receipt kept by settlers and Felda Palm Industries Sdn Bhd respectively, the latter (right) bearing a fine print that the "seller [settler] admits that the quality of BTS (fresh crops) is below 18 percent KPG (extraction grade). The selling of BTS is based on the seller’s wishes and the seller agrees to the payment." However, the same statement is not found on the receipt retained by the settler. Azlan said only "crazy people will sell their crops by limiting themselves the maximum quality of their goods" in order to sell them cheaply. He added that some settlers chose to ‘steal’ their own crops and sell them to Felcra instead, as it has no factory but only a hub to collect oil palm which will be sold back to Felda’s factories to process at 20-25 percent KPG for the same oil palm taken by Felda’s factories at 15 to 18 percent. He claimed that the practice was still being continued in spite of the court victory by settlers over the matter. "Imagine, in decades, how many billions Felda has cheated the settlers?” asked Azlan.