KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — The Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) has distributed RM6.3 million worth of essential goods to nearly 70,000 of its settlers at 317 settlements.

Its general manager Datuk Othman Omar said the initiative was carried out through the food centre for settlement community (PMKR) to help settlers affected by the movement control order (MCO) which was initiated by the government to contain Covid-19 pandemic.

He said 90 per cent of the recipients were the settlers’ working children who earned a daily wage and now affected by the MCO as well as those who were forced to return home after losing their job in the cities.

"About 10 per cent of the recipients were the settlers. The aid was also given out to the needy who are not Felda settlers,” he said in a statement.

He said the aid was contributed by various parties including Felda community and settlers’ successful children, state governments, corporate bodies and individuals.

Among goods distributed were rice, sugar, flour, sardines, egg, oil and coffee.

"This food aid is Felda’s main responsibility to ease the burden of the settlers and their families,” he said.

"We are also grateful to the federal government for announcing various Covid-19 aid programmes for the people, which also benefit the settlers and Felda community as a whole,” Othman added. — Bernama