PUTRAJAYA, under the National Security Council (NSC), is reviewing and studying the possibility of allowing refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia to work temporarily in the plantation sector as a way to overcome the workforce shortage issue, Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof said today.

The plantation and commodities minister told the Dewan Negara the NSC bans refugees or asylum seekers from working in Malaysia, including the plantation sector.

“There was a pioneer project previously that was implemented by the government that allowed these groups to work, but the project failed and the matter is under review by the NSC,” he said during the wind-up for the Supply Bill 2023 at Dewan Negara today. 

The matter was brought up by senator Dominic Lau Hoe Chai who suggested a relevant ministry study the use of temporary workers from refugee and asylum seeker groups to resolve the shortage of workers in the plantation sector. 

“My ministry is committed to implementing various methods to modernise equipment and methods of planting in the oil palm sector, including intensifying the promotion of mechanisation and automation through the Mechanisation and Automation Research Consortium of Oil Palm (Marcop),” Fadillah said. 

Industry players and the ministry funded Marcop through matching grants of RM60 million in 2021. It has received 23 applications so far, he said. 

“RM50 million in funds have been prepared this year through matching grants, as announced during the Budget 2023, to encourage automation and plantation with the use of robotics and artificial intelligence,” he said.

On upgrading the biodiesel programme from B10 to B30 as set in the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), Fadillah said the expansion of the biodiesel programme to B20 and B30 is subject to the availability of infrastructure at depots involved and will take at least three years.

“There is a need to review the target, and currently, the B10 programme in the transport sector is mandatory in Malaysia while the B20 programme has been implemented in Langkawi, Labuan, and Sarawak (except for Bintulu),” he said. 

Under the 12MP, the government aims to introduce the B30 biodiesel programme by 2025. – Bernama, April 4, 2023.