Minister asks for funding on land survey for project concession

(KPL) Rubber tree planting investors are intruding into the National Conservation Forest areas because local authorities lacked money to conduct land survey for land concession of foreign investors.
The invasion of national conservation forest area was proposed by Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Sitaheng Rasaphol, at current National Assembly meeting last Friday.
Other development project has also invaded the forest caused by lacking good survey on land allocation, he said.
“Before giving the land concession for investors, the survey of land allocation, the economic analysis report and the benefit share of the land concession should be done earlier,” he said. “These activities are to ensure in protecting the invasion manners of investors.”
Over the past years, the survey and land allotment have not been implemented clearly, the local authorities said this was due to the shortage of financial support to conduct land survey. Every land concession depended on the map, he said.
“This way was unclear and complicated,” Mr Sitaheng said.This considers the survey has not been paid attention on allotment of land concession for investors, he said.
Therefore He asked the Government give a number of financial supports to local authorities to conduct land survey before giving the rights of land use to investors.
He called for Government to set up taskforces in cooperation with local authorities to inspect and solve foreign investors’ invasion of the National Conservation Forest areas.