PERKEMBANGAN PEMBANGUNAN SEKTOR PERTANIAN DI MELAKA, 1957-1980

Abstract

The agricultural sector is no stranger to the economic development of Malacca. After the country's independence, the agricultural sector remained the main thrust of Melaka's economic growth, especially for rubber and rice crops. It has been proven that these three types of crops have been major contributors to Malacca's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the 1960s to the 1980s. Although the initial focus on the development of the agriculturalsector in Malacca has been to increase agricultural productivity, however, the Government does not Malacca neglects the focus on improving the social life of rural people under agricultural development strategies. Therefore, this study aims to highlight how agricultural development conducted by the Malacca Government has improved the standard of living of the rural population from 1957 to 1980. 1957 was chosen as the starting point for this study because it marked the country's independence year. While this research was completed in 1980 before commencement of in-house agricultural development through the Melaka Integrated Agricultural Development Plan in early 1981. The focus of this study will be to explore strategies implemented by the Malacca governmentthrough agricultural programs introduced throughout the period. The research used qualitative method such as several sources and data obtained from the National Archives of Malaysia, the National Archives of Malaysia Branch of Melaka, the State Library of Malacca, and the University of Malaya Library and the Chief Minister's Department of Malacca. Based on the findings of the study, overall, agricultural development strategies in Malacca have been successfully implemented despite the obstacles. Changing the standard of living of rural people in Malacca has begun to see dramatic changes after the implementation of agricultural development plans since independence. Received: 12 December 2019 Reviewed: 12 December 2019 Accepted: 28 December 2019