KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 (Bernama) -- The need to maintain the economicunits of smallholdings prompted Malaysian Palm Oil Board chairman Tan SriBasir Ismail to write a book entitled "Land Agricultural Policy: AMismatch".

"To increase their income and raise the standard of living, smallholdershave to ensure economies of scale of their agricultural land," he toldreporters after the launch of his book Friday by Royal Professor UngkuAziz Ungku Abdul Hamid at Kuala Lumpur Historical Museum.

Basir said his book recommended that farmers with small land holdingsmerge with their neighbours to form cluster smallholdings that couldfacilitate better management, transfer of technology, mechanisation andmore efficient supervision by extension officers.

"What is crucial is to have a more flexible land use condition forsmallholders to facilitate multiple cropping," said Basir.

He said the book highlighted the fact that land was scarce and it musttherefore be used fully for multicropping and livestock breeding withinthe oil palm ecosystem.

"The book introduces the concept of double-avenue planting as enablers ofcrop and livestock integration with oil palm," he added.

-- BERNAMA