Ministry to turn to Cambodia to solve labour woe in S'wak plantations

SERIAN: The Ministry of Human Resources wants to rope in workers from Cambodia to overcome labour shortage in the plantation sector in Sarawak.

Its minister Dato Sri Dr Richard Riot said the oil palm industry in the state currently needs at least another 30,000 workers, mainly as harvesters.

He noted that the industry is now facing a difficult time in terms of labour because Indonesia is currently converting its land into oil palm plantations.

“Moreover, the plantation operators over there (Indonesia) are also paying wages on par with the wages offered by Malaysia.

“Therefore, Indonesians prefer to work in their own country than to work in Malaysia. That is one problem that we are facing now,” he said after officiating at a talk on the opportunities and challenges in the oil palm industry, organised by Maktab Koperasi Malaysia here yesterday.

Riot said in view of the present scenario in Sarawak, his ministry had to find ways to bring workers from other countries other than from Indonesia.

He said all this while, the state had depended heavily on Indonesians while there are no Bangladeshis employed in oil palm plantations.

“We are now trying to bring Cambodian nationals (into Sarawak) to overcome the shortage in plantation workers.

“I will be going to Cambodia for the third time in the middle of this month to discuss on the matter, including (bringing in Cambodians as) housemaids.

“We need at least 30,000 (plantation workers), mainly as harvesters, otherwise the fresh fruit bunches in Sarawak worth about RM2 billion a year will go to waste,” he said.

Riot said Sarawak needs around 200,000 workers to work in the oil palm industry while the current numbers of foreign labourers in Sarawak is only about 163,000.

“Malaysia, including Sarawak, still needs to rely heavily on foreign workers. If the country does not bring in foreign workers, a lot of development, including in infrastructure, would be at a standstill.

“Look at the giant projects in Peninsular Malaysia. I would say 80 to 90 per cent (construction works) are being done by foreign workers,” he said.

Riot pointed out that currently, Indonesians still make up the biggest number of foreign workers in Malaysia by virtue of the fact that they are very close to Malaysia.