PLANTATION owners should look into automation as it will reduce dependency on foreign workers and make the industry more resilient in the long run, said Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin.

She said based on Malaysian Palm Oil Board studies and research, plantation owners are advised to boost automation, e.g. use drones for surveillance and pest control.

The use of automatic equipment will also attract locals to the industry, she added.

“The Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry feels that the current labour crunch in the industry can spur planters to invest in technological tools and boost their bottom-lines in the long-run.

“A greater uptake in automation can help position palm oil as the preferred edible oil worldwide, in line with the ongoing Malaysian Palm Oil Full of Goodness campaign.”

Zuraida said her ministry will continue to seek solutions to overcome the labour crunch in the industry, especially the oil palm sector.

“We are aware of the woes faced by the Malaysian Estate Owners’ Association, where a severe labour crunch of about 120,000 workers can be capable of causing losses in earnings by up to 10%.”

All parties must be aware that among the main reasons for the manpower shortage is international border closures, she added.

“The ministry is working closely with, among others, the Human Resources Ministry, Immigration Department, Co-operative Societies Commission and Wisma Putra to look into ways to expeditiously resolve this issue.”

Zuraida said Putrajaya in September approved plans to bring in 32,000 migrant workers for plantations nationwide.

She said her ministry remains cautiously optimistic of achieving this target, and permit issues have been brought to its attention.

“Plantation owners must also be accepting of workers from other countries like India and Pakistan and not be too dependent on workers from Bangladesh and Indonesia.

“The ministry hopes that plantation owners will look into long-term solutions to cut down dependency on foreign workers.” – June 18, 2022.