MARKET DEVELOPMENT
Sarawak's Oil Palm Industry Faces Shortage Of 35,000 Workers, Says Masing
Sarawak's Oil Palm Industry Faces Shortage Of 35,000 Workers, Says Masing
24/03/2016 (Bernama) - Sarawak is saddled with an acute shortage of about 35,000 workers in the plantation sector, especially for harvesting and collection of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) and general field works, State Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing said.
Thus, he said it was imperative that the state's oil palm industry resolved labour-related problems in order to sustain its growth.
He said the sector was highly dependent on Indonesian workers but it was getting more difficult to hire them as they preferred to work for plantations in their home country and be closed to their families.
The situation is also impeded by high cost of hiring foreign workers due to high levies imposed by the government, he added.
Last year, 80,518 or 78 per cent of 103,000 people employed in the oil palm-related industry were foreign workers while 22,577 or 22 per cent were locals, he told a press conference on the upcoming "Seminar on Addressing Manpower Needs of the Oil Palm Industry in Sarawak 2016", here Wednesday.
The seminar will be held at the Riverside Majestic Hotel here on March 30.
Masing said as locals were perceived to be uninterested in plantation jobs, which were deemed "dirty, difficult and dangerous (3D)", there were urgent needs to resolve the shortage of workers or else Sarawak would lose out in terms of revenue.
He called on industry players and non-governmental organisations to attend the seminar to provide solutions on how best to resolve the problems.
Those, who are critical in the government's move in hiring foreign workers, should also attend the seminar, he said, adding that, "I am interested to hear your views as we can't afford to lose the industry."
To a question, Masing said he preferred workers from Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries, but not Bangladeshis as they were found to be not suitable for the plantation sector, while Indonesians would be hired on a case by case basis.
Masing said the oil palm industry was a growing and key sector of Sarawak's economy and one of the 10 priority industries identified under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) Development Plan (2008-2030).
"The industry contributed RM3.9 billion to the state's GDP (gross domestic product) in 2014 and recorded an export value of RM8 billion last year and sales tax of RM1.9 billion (2010-2015)," he added.
Oil palm plantations take up 1.439 million hectares of land in Sarawak and constitutes 25.5 per cent of 5.642 million hectares of land under oil palm cultivation in the country.
Thus, he said it was imperative that the state's oil palm industry resolved labour-related problems in order to sustain its growth.
He said the sector was highly dependent on Indonesian workers but it was getting more difficult to hire them as they preferred to work for plantations in their home country and be closed to their families.
The situation is also impeded by high cost of hiring foreign workers due to high levies imposed by the government, he added.
Last year, 80,518 or 78 per cent of 103,000 people employed in the oil palm-related industry were foreign workers while 22,577 or 22 per cent were locals, he told a press conference on the upcoming "Seminar on Addressing Manpower Needs of the Oil Palm Industry in Sarawak 2016", here Wednesday.
The seminar will be held at the Riverside Majestic Hotel here on March 30.
Masing said as locals were perceived to be uninterested in plantation jobs, which were deemed "dirty, difficult and dangerous (3D)", there were urgent needs to resolve the shortage of workers or else Sarawak would lose out in terms of revenue.
He called on industry players and non-governmental organisations to attend the seminar to provide solutions on how best to resolve the problems.
Those, who are critical in the government's move in hiring foreign workers, should also attend the seminar, he said, adding that, "I am interested to hear your views as we can't afford to lose the industry."
To a question, Masing said he preferred workers from Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries, but not Bangladeshis as they were found to be not suitable for the plantation sector, while Indonesians would be hired on a case by case basis.
Masing said the oil palm industry was a growing and key sector of Sarawak's economy and one of the 10 priority industries identified under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) Development Plan (2008-2030).
"The industry contributed RM3.9 billion to the state's GDP (gross domestic product) in 2014 and recorded an export value of RM8 billion last year and sales tax of RM1.9 billion (2010-2015)," he added.
Oil palm plantations take up 1.439 million hectares of land in Sarawak and constitutes 25.5 per cent of 5.642 million hectares of land under oil palm cultivation in the country.