BUTTERWORTH: The North Malaya Patent Medicine and Herb Dealers Association is offering its new members cash incentive for having more babies in a bid to increase the population of Chinese Malaysians.

After joining the association, new members who have the third baby are entitled to a cash incentive of RM2,000, fourth RM4,000 while fifth and above RM8,000.

Its president Ang Ah Hock said the incentive is introduced as the association is facing aging issue where many existing members are old and dwindling numbers in the Chinese medicine sector.

“For the past 10 years, the number of members applying for cash incentive for their children who excel in school is dwindling,” he said.

Ang urged those in the Chinese medicine industry to join the association.

The committee of the association also launched a new scheme offering existing members’ children half price in membership fees to join the association.

The move is to ensure the Chinese medicine sector remains and continues to develop, he said at the 56th anniversary of the North Malaya Patent Medicine and Herb Dealers Association, held together in conjunction with the 24th anniversary of Pusat Latihan Perubatan Zhung Hua Sdn Bhd, and the birth of Shennong Master known as the God of Chinese herbal medicine, at Daily Fish Restaurant here on 25 May.

It was reported that the birth rates in Malaysia had plunged to historic low with only 93,500 babies born in the first quarter of 2025, a 11.5 percent drop from the previous year.

For the Chinese in Malaysia, only 7,350 babies were born in the first four months of 2025, an 8.6 percent drop and the lowest in history of Malaysia.

The Chinese fertility rate stands at a mere 0.8 children per woman, far below the replacement level of 2.1.

In December last year, a Chinese clan association in Melaka, Eng Choo Association Melaka announced to offer its members RM1,200 cash incentive for having newborns starting this year in a bid to increase the Chinese population in Malaysia.

Members who have a baby in 2025 will be eligible to receive RM100 a month for 12 months.

For delivering twins, the members will receive RM200 a month.

Apart from receiving cash incentive, the association also promises that the babies will be given priority for study at prestigious Chinese primary and secondary schools set up by the association in Melaka.

The Eng Choon Association in Melaka was one of many Chinese clan associations in the country set up to look after the welfare of early Chinese migrants.

Set up in 1800, Eng Choon Association Melaka has been looking after the welfare of migrants from Yongchun County in China’s Fujian Province, settling down in Melaka.

Eng Choon is the Hokkien pronunciation for Yongchun, referring Chinese Malaysians with ancestry from the county in Fujian Province, China.

Eng Choon Association Melaka is not the first to offer such incentive.

The Federation of Kwong Siew Association of Malaysia offered to pay RM2,000 to its members with a fourth child or more back in 2000.

The Cantonese-speaking clan is believed to be the first local Chinese clan association to have come up with a cash incentive scheme to help check the falling birth rates among Chinese Malaysians.