04/03/2009 (The Star Online), Kuantan - The National Association of Felda Settlers’ Children (Anak) lodged police reports in several states Wednesday claiming that Felda had applied pressure on 25,000 settlers who refused to hand over the running of their oil palm estates to the agency.

Anak chairman Mazlan Aliman said the reports, lodged simultaneously in Johor, Negri Sembilan and here in Pahang, related to the problems faced by the settlers, including difficulty in selling their fresh fruit bunch (FFB) to private factories.

He claimed that Felda had pressured the Malaysian Palm Oil Board to take action against settlers who sell their FFB to private factories by not issuing them their licences.

“The settlers sell to the private factories without going through Felda to avoid unreasonable deductions being made from their income,” he told reporters at the Kuantan police headquarters here where 50 settlers had assembled peacefully.

Mazlan said the settlers were also unhappy with the quality and grading of palm oil at the Felda factories.

Settlers who had settled their dues should no longer be bound by any new agreement with Felda, including replanting agreement, he added.