THE shortage of workers in oil palm plantations is a cause for concern, says Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing.
He said while the planted area had increased from 682,025 hectares in 2007 to 966,147 hectares by Dec 31 last year, reports from Labour Department showed that the number of workers had declined from 99,936 in 2007 to 60,057 in 2010.
“This trend is indeed worrying, and if it is allowed to continue, it will adversely affect the growth of the industry in the state,” Masing said in his winding up speech here yesterday.
He said that the problem must be addressed, particularly when the state was expanding its oil palm plantations, adding that foreigners made up the majority of the workforce.
As such, he called for very strong co-operation between the industry and other agencies in order to formulate measures that could be implemented to encourage more locals to work in the oil palm estates.
Masing also told the august house that the pace of development on NCR land had not been fast as desired.
Although 31 joint venture companies had been set up in 34 different project areas, he said the companies and Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA) were still facing numerous challenges.
He also explained to the house in detail about the new concept of development on NCR land.