GOPENG: The final phase of the country's rural transformation programme has kicked off with the launch of the first Rural Transformation Centre (RTC) here by the Prime Minister.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the RTC was considered the final step in the completion of the country's rural development agenda, which was mooted in the 1960s and would continue until 2020.

He said the RTC sought to improve the marketability and promotion of rural produce.

“Farmers, fishermen and breeders no longer have to sell their produce by the roadside or night markets.

“The RTC serves as a collection point for their produce to be sold to hypermarkets throughout the country or even for export,” he said when opening the centre here yesterday.

Najib said that following the modernisation of rural areas, the Government wanted to bridge the income gap between the urban and rural folks.

“The first phase of rural development entailed creating basic amenities such as power and water supply, and the opening up of roads.

“To ensure there was social mobility, we provided rural folks with quality education and grouped them in systematic clusters through the setting up of Felda, Felcra and Risda.

“This final phase seeks to modernise the promotion of rural produce to give our farmers even greater buying power and income,” he added.

Najib said the rural community should be able to achieve a quality of life and income that were on par with other Malaysians by the time the country achieved developed status.

He added that Malaysia needed to embark on large-scale projects such as the Mass Rapid Transport (MRT), River of Life, the Petronas Port and Seri Iskandar in order to generate income.

“Without development, the country's income will drop while our borrowings and deficit will increase,” he said.

Najib added that Malaysia would not be able to generate enough funding for its rural development programmes in the absence of such mega projects.

About 50,000 people turned up to witness the launching of the RTC, which also serves as a one-stop centre for the rural community.

Many related government and non-government agencies are housed here.

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