BANGI, Jan 23 — The government has agreed to allow the hiring of foreign workers specifically for the plantation sector under the Plantation and Commodities Ministry (KPK), said its minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
The matter was informed to him by the Home Affairs Minister (Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail), who decided that only the plantation sector is currently allowed to hire foreign workers.
“The Home Affairs Ministry (KDN) and the Human Resources Ministry have agreed that foreign workers are no longer allowed to enter the country except for the plantation industry. This industry is open to taking in foreign labour.
“According to survey findings of up to December last year, we estimate that 40,000 workers are needed in the plantation sector.
“Hence, plantation companies must submit an application to hire foreign workers,” he told the press after the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Excellence Awards Ceremony 2023 today.
Johari stressed that plantation companies seeking to apply to recruit foreign workers must ensure the employment requirement is specifically in the plantation sector and not in other sectors.
“KPK will ensure companies provide conducive foreign workers’ accommodation and the welfare of this group is not neglected as to avoid any forced labour issues.
“According to the Home Affairs Minister, any company which brings foreign workers into the country still has to pay wages to those workers despite there being no work. This is to avoid our country being accused of practising human trafficking or forced labour,” he said.
Earlier, Johari witnessed the handover of funds, specifically for the RM100 million palm oil replanting programme (TPKS 2.0), from MPOB to Agrobank.
The funds allocated through Budget 2024 consist of a grant component (50 per cent) and financing (50 per cent) to private smallholders.
Agrobank will fully disburse the funds disbursement for both grant and financing components, and the repayment by the applicant will only involve 50 per cent (including two per cent interest) of the total amount of disbursed funds.
The financing value is as much as RM14,000 per hectare for smallholders in Peninsular Malaysia and RM18,000 per hectare for smallholders in Sabah and Sarawak.
Applications have been open since last Monday (January 15).
— Bernama
