AS the plantation sector faces acute manpower shortage, the Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC) urged plantation players to automate and cut down dependence on migrant workers.
“Moving forward, MPIC hopes that plantation owners will look into long-term solutions to reduce dependence on migrant workers.
“Through technological studies and research conducted by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), plantation owners are advised to increase the use of automation such as drones for surveillance and pest control,” its minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin said in a statement.
On June 13, Reuters reported that Malaysian manufacturing and plantation players are turning down orders worth billions due to acute manpower shortage in the sectors.
Malaysia needs about one million migrant workers to meet demand but attempts to get employees were deterred by various problems’ including stalled negotiations with Indonesia and Bangladesh.
Both nations have demanded better protection for their countrymen given that several Malaysian companies have had their products seized by the US Customs and Border Protection (US CBP) over allegations of using forced labour.
On that note, Zuraida said that automation would also attract local workforce to the industry and make it more resilient in the future.
“In this respect, MPIC feels that the current labour crunch in the palm oil sector will spur planters to start investing in technological tools and boost their own bottom lines in the long-run.
“We also believe that a greater uptake in automation can help position palm oil as the preferred edible oil globally, in line with the ongoing ‘Malaysian Palm Oil Full of Goodness’ campaign,” the Ampang MP remarked. – June 18, 2022
