KUCHING, May 11 — Sarawak is seeking the federal government’s approval to source more plantation workers from other countries beside Indonesia after it was revealed that the acute labour shortage has caused the state to lose RM2 billion in revenue last year.

Saying this was Deputy Minister in the Premier of Sarawak’s Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring) Datuk Gerawat Gala, who pointed out that planters were asking for an opportunity to recruit workers from Bangladesh because of the difficulty in sourcing workers from Indonesia.

The Indonesian government, Gerawat said, was not encouraging their workers to come and work as plantation workers in this country.

During the movement control order (MCO) period when borders were closed, the government allowed plantation companies to extend work permits for their existing workers whose work permits have expired when they could not return to Indonesia, he added.

This was referred to as a recalibration exercise to allow workers whose work permits have expired and could not be renewed in time during the MCO, he said.

The recalibration exercise also allowed employers to extend their workers’ work permits for up to two additional years beyond the limit of 10 years, he added.

The planters must ensure that their workers are well taken care of and provided with safe and comfortable housing and basic facilities such as clean water and electricity supplies in order to attract foreign workers, he said.

They also need to take heed of Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg’s advice to focus on research and development to mechanise and digitise plantation works in the future so as to reduce reliance on foreign labour, he added.

Sarawak Oil Palm Plantation Owners Association (Soppoa) chairman Eric Kiew was recently quoted by The Star that last year alone, their members needed around 45,000 foreign workers to intensify production. — Borneo Post Online