Doppa all for move to allow foreign labour AP application

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MIRI: Sarawak Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association (Doppa) welcomes the recent decision by the Sarawak government to allow existing oil palm smallholders to apply for Approved Permit (AP) for foreign labour.

It said the smallholders are those who plant oil palm on untitled native customary rights (NCR) land and possess the licence to sell fresh fruit bunches (FFB).

Recently, the Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development and the Sarawak Labour Department had given the green light to these smallholders to higher workers through this process.

In a statement to The Borneo Post, Doppa said it is grateful to Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah, who is also Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development, for his support and intervention in making it happen.

Since the announcement of the new arrangement to allow smallholders planting on untitled land to apply for foreign labour was made in late 2016, Doppa has held a number of discussions with the ministry as feedback from members indicated many were not successful in their application before this.

“With this decision, as Doppa understands it, existing oil palm smallholders wishing to apply for AP for foreign labour need not wait for their land status to be verified and at the same time they do not have to advertise such vacancies or conduct job interviews as required previously,” said the association.

With the latest development, these smallholders are required to register as a business entity and in @JobsMalaysia before they can submit their application for approval of AP.

Doppa said this new process will make it faster and easier for smallholders to get additional workers to work on their oil palm plantation and hopefully solve the problem of labour shortage.

It noted that worker shortage is a problem faced by many smallholders having more than 20 acres of planted area, with the shortage of experienced harvesters the most critical, resulting in unharvested ripe fruits that cause huge losses to planters.

Doppa will seek a meeting soon with the Labour Department at divisional levels to get to know the standard procedure and relevant documents required, so that this information could be correctly conveyed to members as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the association announced the new line–up of executive committee members for August 2018 to July 2020, elected at its annual general meeting in July this year.

Dr Richard Mani Banda and Rita Insol were elected president and vice-president respectively for the new term, with Bernard Tahim Bael as the secretary.

The new line-up also includes Alexander Isut Karin (assistant secretary), Ignatius Mada Nyelang (treasurer) and Bunie Japah (assistant treasurer).

The committee members are Tohit Nyagam (Kuching division liaison), Wennedy Sapet (Serian and Kota Samarahan divisions), Dan Giang (Sri Aman division), Chambai Lindong (Betong and Sarikei divisions), Incham Serdin (Sibu and Mukah divisions), Pemanca Tony Kulleh (Kapit division liaison), Dorothy Adrian (Bintulu division), Napoleon R Ningkos (Miri division) and Padan Pengiran (Limbang division).

For further information, members of the public can call Bernard Tahim Bael on 013-8407720.