KUCHING, Oct 27 ― Bangladesh is looking forward to meeting Sarawak’s needs for foreign workers but this will have to be done on a government-to-government basis, its Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia Mohammad Khorshed Khastagir said today.

He said his country is also ready to comply with Malaysia’s latest criteria on accepting foreign workers where they must have completed the Covid-19 two-dose vaccinations.

"To begin with, we can send about 3,000 workers to Sarawak,” he said when paying a courtesy call on Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here.

Mohammad Khorshed added Bangladesh and Sarawak have a lot of things to share, particularly in the agricultural sector.

Uggah said Sarawak needed a lot of workers, particularly in the oil palm sector.

"We certainly welcome more workers to help in the harvesting,” he said, stressing that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought in many unprecedented challenges to the state, including a shortage of workers.

On the offer of workers, he said he will bring it to Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari for further deliberation.

He said Sarawak welcomed investors in livestock breeding and modern precision farming in its effort to be a net food and food products exporter by 2030.

"We are also interested in rice plantation and shipbuilding sectors among others,” Uggah, who is also the state Minister of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development, said.

Bangladesh Embassy First Secretary Fared Ahmed and Sarawak Deputy State Secretary Datuk Sri Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki were among those present at the courtesy call.