THE Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities is working to obtain a government exemption from the foreign labour hiring freeze in order to secure 20,000 migrant workers.

Minister Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali said this was important in view of the plantation and commodity sector in view of its dependence on foreign labour.

“We have obtained the in-principle approval to get workers for the oil palm sector and will be negotiating to secure the same for the timber sector as well,” he told reporters in Malacca today.

Khairuddin said the ministry had provided various incentives to attract local workers, to alleviate the shortage in the timber sector.

This included giving space for companies to promote themselves on a Human Resources Ministry website, as well as offering training for those interested in entering the field, he said.

Meanwhile, he said the timber industry’s operational transformation towards the adoption of automation and digitalisation seemed to be the best move for reducing dependence on foreign labour.

“As the third largest commodity subsector, after oil palm and rubber, the timber industry also faces various challenges including the challenges related to the fourth industrial revolution and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

“Therefore, the Malaysian Timber Council has set aside RM2.8 million from its RM28.3 million development fund to assist in the industry’s operational transformation towards automation and digitalisation,” he added. – Bernama, May 6, 2021.