Malaysian Plantations Need Skilled Workers

More skilled workers are needed in the Malaysian plantation industries so as to boost production.
Plantation Industries and Commodity Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said Malaysia was still quite far behind its neighbouring countries in the output of agriculture commodities.
Citing Thailand as an example, he said the country was able to produce 1.8 tons of rubber per hectare whereas Malaysia could only manage 1.3 tons. As for palm oil, he said plantations in Malaysia could only produce four tons of crude palm oil for every hectare.
“If we have good management of the estates with a skilled workforce, we can produce five to six tons. One of the ways to achieve that is for us to have enough skilled workers,” he said when launching a Commodity Exhibition and Seminar here yesterday (Apr 7).
Bernard hoped youths would not shy away from working in plantations which were increasingly in demand of skilled workers.
He said there was a lack of workforce in the industry as youths still felt that working in plantations involved laborious and dirty work.
Last year alone, of the 11.6 million workers in the industry, some 1.3 million were foreigners.
To overcome the lack of local workers, he urged youths to change their mindsets and take up the many managerial jobs available.
In 2005, exports from the plantation industry contributed RM65.3bil to the country and in 2010, it contributed RM113.5bil. This is an increase of 73%.
(The Star, Malaysia, April 8, 2011)