PEMBANGUNAN PERTANIAN KOMERSIAL DI HILIR PERAK, 1900–1973

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURAL IN LOWER PERAK, 1900–1973

Abstract

Penulisan ini meneliti pembangunan pertanian komersial di Hilir Perak antara tahun 1900 hingga tahun 1973 yang merangkumi era British hingga era pasca-kemerdekaan. Penulisan ini ingin melihat sejauh mana kejayaan kerajaan kolonial British di Perak dan selepas itu Kerajaan Negeri Perak dalam membangunkan sektor pertanian komersial di Hilir Perak. Kajian-kajian terdahulu tentang kegiatan ekonomi di Negeri Perak lebih memfokuskan kepada sektor ekonomi utama negeri ini iaitu kegiatan melombong bijih timah di kawasan bandar di Perak. Justeru kajian tentang kegiatan pertanian komersial di Hilir Perak kurang diberi perhatian terutamanya pada era pasca-kemerdekaan. Penulisan ini menggunakan kaedah kualitatif yang meneliti sumber-sumber pertama dan bahan-bahan yang diperoleh dari Arkib Negara Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur dan Arkib Negara di Perak, Perpustakaan Awam Negeri Perak, Perpustakaan Arkib Perak, Perpustakaan Negara dan Perpustakaan Hamzah Sendut 1 Universiti Sains Malaysia. Hasil penelitian terhadap sumber primer seperti Report of the Coconut Marketing Survey (Sabak Bernam and Lower Perak Districts) 1956, Laporan Tahunan Jabatan Pertanian Negeri Perak 1970, Federation of Malaya Annual Report 1950, Annual Report Social and Economic Perak 1948, The Present Land Use of Perak September 1970 dan Lower Perak District 1962 telah mendapati bahawa sektor pertanian komersial di Hilir Perak membangun secara dinamik sejak era British dan terus berkembang maju dalam era pasca-kemerdekaan. Juga didapati bahawa sektor pertanian komersial di Hilir Perak turut menyumbang secara signifikan kepada kemajuan ekonomi negeri Perak dan kemajuan ekonomi masyarakat setempat dalam tempoh yang dikaji.

Kata Kunci: Pertanian komersial, Hilir Perak, Dasar Pertanian British, Dasar Pertanian Malaysia

Abstract 

This writing examines the development of the commercial agriculture sector in Lower Perak between 1900 to 1973 which includes the British era to the post-independence era. This writing would like to see to what extent the success of the the British colonial government in Perak and after that the Perak State Government in developing the commercial agriculture sector in Lower Perak. Previous studies on the economic activities in the state of Perak focused more on the main economic sector of the state, namely tin mining activities in urban areas in Perak. Therefore, the study of commercial agricultural activities in Lower Perak has received less attention, especially in the post-independence era. This writing uses a qualitative method that examines the primary sources and materials obtained from the National Archives of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur and the National Archives in Perak, the Perak State Public Library, the Perak Archives Library, the National Library and the Hamzah Sendut Library 1, Universiti Sains Malaysia. An in-depth scrutiny on primary sources such as Report of the Coconut Marketing Survey (Sabak Bernam and Lower Perak Districts) 1956, Perak State Department of Agriculture Annual Report 1970, Federation of Malaya Annual Report 1950, Annual Report Social and Economic Perak 1948, The Present Land Use of Perak September 1970 and Lower Perak District 1962 has found that the commercial agriculture sector in Lower Perak developed dynamically since the British era and continued to thrive in the post-independence era. It was also found that the commercial agriculture sector in Lower Perak also contributed significantly to the economic progress of the state of Perak and the economic progress of the local community during the period studied. 

Keywords: Commercial agriculture, Lower Perak, British Agricultural Policy, Malaysian Agricultural Policy