ALMOST 80% of the worker shortage in the plantation industry has been resolved so far with the remaining under way, Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof said.

Fadillah, who is also plantation and commodities minister, said the labour crunch, however, remains a challenge in certain parts of the country, such as Sarawak.

“We are almost there. I think it’s almost like 80% now but the challenge will be in certain parts, for example Sarawak, because it is not receiving or accepting Bangladeshi nationals to work there.

“So, definitely there are challenges in getting more Indonesians to come in but in terms of (labour) application approvals, it has been almost 100% achieved,” he told reporters after launching the People Positive Palm Project (P3 Project) in Kuala Lumpur today. 

He said the challenge was to bring in people from the source countries because their practices, rules and regulations were beyond the Malaysian government’s control.

Meanwhile, Fadillah stressed the importance of Malaysia engaging international communities, both consultants or industry players, and meeting regional and international standards and practices. 

He said the international standards must be recognised for industry players to fulfil the expectations of those buying Malaysian products or services. – Bernama, March 14, 2023.