KUALA NERANG, Oct 4 — The government has permitted Felcra Berhad to bring in about 5,000 foreign workers to overcome the problem of worker shortage in its oil palm and rubber plantations.

Felcra Berhad Board member Datuk Seri Ghazali Ibrahim expects this to restore its production, which was affected by a shortage of workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"During the pandemic, many foreign workers returned to their countries of origin and when they wanted to come back to Malaysia, the entry procedures were a bit complicated.

"When there are no workers in Felcra’s plantations, the yield will decrease. So, we requested the government to provide workers and we have been given permission to bring in about 5,000 foreign workers, although the entry process is a little slow,” he told reporters here today.

He said this when asked to comment on allegations that Felcra Berhad suffered losses amounting to RM3 billion in a period of one month.

Ghazali is confident that the approval to bring in foreign workers would help Felcra overcome its problems and, at the same time, increase its production.

Earlier, he launched the Jelajah #SayaDigital Keluarga Malaysia programme organised by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), which was joined by 120 participants consisting of small traders and students.

Ghazali said the programme was aimed at giving exposure to small traders, especially from rural areas, to use digital technology to increase the sale of their products.

"These traders said they can earn up to RM5,000 a month, which they hope will increase once they start selling their products online and on digital platforms,” he said. — Bernama