DESPITE grappling with a crippling labour shortage, farmers in the agriculture sector are at odds over a proposal to hire ex-convicts as workers.

Fruit farmers, who say they need 20,000 workers to work their orchards, are in favour of the proposal, but the vegetable farmers, who need up to 30,000 workers, are hesitant after having seen their workers, particularly foreign hands, abscond to other sectors.

Federation of Vegetable Farmers Association of Malaysia president Lim Ser Kwee, in objecting to the proposal, told The Malaysian Insight it’s simply “not feasible for the time being”.

Lim said they could give the proposal a chance, but not to expect it to solve the problem.

“Not many farmers are excited at (employing) ex-convicts,” he said, amid reports from farmers that their production has dropped by 20% to 30% from pre-pandemic levels.

“They still hope that foreign workers will return to work.”

He said if worse comes to worst, they will resort to hiring refugees.

Lim said the fall in production should be “a warning signal” to the government of a looming food crisis.

“The government has not taken any measures to avert the potential crisis.”

Lim said if farmers could not solve the difficulties they face, they could eventually give up on planting and switch to something else.

In offering a solution of having prisoners fill in, the fruit farmers proposed that the government encourage prisoners who are to be released soon and have a record of good behaviour to work in orchards.

That could temporarily alleviate the farmers’ problems, Federation Of Malaysia Fruit Farmers Association president Lawrence Ting said.

“Work and the prospect of earning a legal income await them. The only thing is that the proposal needs the approval of the government.

“Our hope is that we can hire locals. The cost of engaging foreign workers is too high and the small-time farmers just cannot afford them,” Ting said.

In an interview with The Malaysian Insight, he said fruit farmers now are a depressed lot as the prolonged workers shortage had forced them to turn down foreign orders.

He pointed to one watermelon grower as an example who prior to the Covid-19 pandemic had 100 workers in his 100-acre (40.46ha) orchard.

When the agriculture and farming sector were allowed to reopen earlier this year, he was left with only 20 workers – the rest had returned to their home countries.

Ting said with 20 workers, the grower could only work 50 acres of his land.

“We understand that we can’t be overly dependent on foreign workers and we need to modernise.”

Ting said modernisation needs government support.

“When fruit farmers bring their problems to the government, the solution we get is for the government to import the fruits.

“Is this how the government is helping us farmers?”

Ting said imported fruits are expensive and does not help a family’s food bills at a time of rising food prices.

He said if local farmers are assisted, they can increase production and the country could not only be self-sufficient, but consumers could also have cheaper fruits.

Students as interns

Banana planter Edmond Chow told The Malaysian Insight that due to having only a few workers, the 20 tonnes of bananas his orchard was producing a week before the pandemic had dropped by 50% to 10 tonnes a week now.

“I was forced to refuse orders from abroad because I cannot meet the demand without any workers,” Chow said.

The orders were from China, Japan, and countries in the Middle East.

He said bananas cannot be preserved and therefore the fruits, from harvesting to exporting, need to be transported quickly.

“There’s no way I could pack several tonnes of bananas for export within two days,” he said.

Chow’s bananas are now destined for local consumption.

He said his business is “a small business”, and he is in no position to hire workers demanding high salaries.

Another temporary solution the fruit farmers have for the government to mull is to have students of agriculture courses do their internship at the orchards of association members.

Ting said the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry should seriously consider that proposal.

He said the students would not just be “cheap farmhands”.

He said what the students had learnt in theory can be put in practice at the orchards during their internship.

“It’s a sharing of knowledge that could help the planters improve their planting techniques and the quality of their fruits.”

Ting said for fruit farmers to survive, their long-term goal should be to modernise and move towards smart agriculture with the use of artificial intelligence.

Absconding workers

Cameron Highlands Floriculturist Association president Lee Peng Fo said he had willingly participated in the government organised programme to solve his manpower shortage by “legalising” foreign workers who had entered the country illegally and were held in detention centres.

He said he regretted it as it left a big hole in his pocket.

“All of them escaped,” he lamented.

Lee said after paying levies for 42 of the migrants, a “law enforcement agency” arranged for a bus to take the workers to his farm in Cameron Highlands.

He said the escape started at the very first rest stop.

Some of the workers disappeared after saying they needed to go to the restroom.

Within a month, all had absconded, Lee said.

“I paid RM1,000 to RM1,500 per worker, and in not more than 20 days, they were all gone.”

He said the experience had left him with reservations when dealing with detainees.

“I dare not try again.”

Le also said with the Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities (Amendment) Act 2019, which covers foreign workers in all sectors, it would be difficult for farmers to meet the requirements.

One of the requirements is for proper accommodation.

Under such a strain, flower farmers have turned to a readily available solution – reduce planting by 20% to 30%. – August 12, 2022.