Come up with solution to reduce manpower in oil palm estates

KUCHING: Sarawakians have been challenged to come up with a harvester to reduce the dependence on manpower in the oil palm estates.

Speaking at the closing of the three-day WorldSkills Malaysia Sarawak 2017 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching here yesterday, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg encouraged Sarawakians to be innovative and embrace artificial intelligence (AI) in coming up with a tool to harvest oil palm fruits due to the perennial shortage of labour.

"I am willing to fund the research on oil palm harvester because oil palm is one of our main industries.

"We need to pluck oil palm fruits and AI through signal can help achieve this. If the fruits are not ripe, red signal is sent; if the fruits are semi ripe, yellow signal is sent; if the fruits are ripe, pluck," he said.

The challenge was specifically issued to the Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak and Melbourne campuses.

"I challenge Swinburne in Sarawak and in Melbourne to create it to pluck oil palm fruits. Because of issues pertaining to workers, we have to find alternative solution," he said.

Earlier, he said what mattered to Sarawak would be promoting the culture of innovation among its people in order to move the state forward.

Citing the excavator as an example, he said the idea originated from a hoe as the creator merely extended the arm of the hoe on top of a lorry. In the same way, he believed that Sarawakians could do the state proud by coming up with an oil palm harvester to solve the lack of manpower in the industry once and for all.