GREATER MECHANISATION TO LESSEN LABOUR

MALAYSIA'S golden crop needs greater mechanisation and automation to reduce heavy reliance on foreign labour.

Mechanisation is vital to sustain industrial levels of production and improve efficiency as the industry grows, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said, at the 3rd International Plantation Industry Conference and Exhibition (IPiCEX 2012).

According to Dompok, Malaysia is no longer a leading producer of oil palm as the industry continues to be plagued by labour shortages and lack of suitable fertile land for further expansion.

Malaysia is highly dependent on foreign workers, especially  in the plantation sector. As of July 31 this year the country has a total of 1.58 million registered foreign workers, and about 306,000 are working in plantations.

The plantation sector sees mechanisation as a possible way out of the labour shortage problem. As large plantations in Kalimantan continue to draw workers who would otherwise have come to work in Sabah and elsewhere in Malaysia, the plantation sector is finding it increasingly more difficult to employ foreign workers to work in the industry.

Dompok welcomed the breakthrough achieved by the research and development agencies, namely the Malaysian Palm Oil Board in developing more than 30 farm machines to be used in the plantations. Among the innovations introduced are Cantas, Grabber, Motocycle-trailer and Beluga.

"The Cantas harvester for instance has been proven to enhance workers productivity by almost two-fold from 1.5 tonnes to 2.8 tonnes daily. Using the Cantas makes a world of difference. It is able to cover an area of 35 hectares compared to just 21 hectares by sickles, an improvement of nearly 70%," he said.

Dompok recommended another new invention called the Rhyno, a multi-purpose wheel type transporter launched during the fifth National Seminar on Oil Palm Mechanisation in October last year. The new machine can be used together with the Beluga for added efficiency and productivity.

"While I am optimistic that mechanisation and automated operations will be a practical, long term solution to reduce dependency on foreign labour; a well-planned and coordinated program as well as strong commitment on the part of  the plantation companies remain vital for the successful modernisation of the plantation sector," he said.

Dompok added that the transformation will require the industry to restructure as they will no longer need to employ masses of low-skilled workers as before, when higher skilled workers, armed with modern machinery can generate greater yields and more fruitful returns.

In order to prepare the industry for a higher level of mechanisation a training body called IMPACt was establised in 2010 to conduct various courses and training, including those related to mechanised operation in plantation and commodities sector.

Additionally, the sector also offers other training avenues such as the KOML mechanised operator course for plantations, which provides hands-on training on using mechanised equipment and management for the oil palm sector.

The minister believed that while plantation sector would continue to play a pivotal role in the country's economic growth, he stressed that it was important for the industry to be dynamic in response to changes to keep up the momentum.

"If such efforts are undertaken, the target of achieving RM 242.6 billion worth of export revenue from commodity-based products by 2020 can be realised," Dompok said.

On a related issue, Dompok said the industry faces growing concerns over the impact of the oil palm industry towards the environment.

Therefore, it is important for the plantation industry to strike a proper  balance between economic prosperity and environmental sustainability. (Insight Sabah)