KUCHING: The Sarawak Oil Palm Plantation Owners Association (Soppoa) has brought its concern over labour shortage affecting the sector to Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.
It is urging the government to allow foreigners, other than Indonesians who are the only foreigners currently allowed to work in plantations in the state, to be employed in the sector to solve the shortage.
The issue was brought to Taib’s attention by Soppoa’s newly-elected council members during a courtesy call on the Chief Minister at Wisma Bapa Malaysia in Petra Jaya yesterday.
Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing had recently said that the plantation sector was short of about 30,000 workers.
“The shortage is reflected in a total loss of RM1bil a year in uncollected fresh fruit bunches,” Masing had told The Star.
Soppoa also requested for a review of the level of acceptable discharge that was comparable to those imposed in Peninsular Malaysia and the Chief Minister was said to be agreeable to it.
Soppoa chairman Paul Wong said the association was also concerned about the attacks from non-governmental organisations on oil palm planting in Sarawak, especially on peat planting.
“As such, we call on the government to take more concerted efforts to make the research undertaken in the state, including conservation strategies put in place to safeguard the environment more widely known to the world,” said Wong.
He said another issue that was discussed was the current low price for crude palm oil, rising production cost resulting in profit margin drop for many planters.
As such, Soppoa requested the government to relook the sales tax structure in view of the young industry here, which has yet to reach its full potential.
Taken from The Star
