THE price of oil palm fruits has increased to RM650 per tonne, more than double its rock-bottom price of RM280 recorded not so long ago, but smallholders have problems harvesting their fruit bunches due to labour shortage.
According to a report in Nanyang Siang Pau yesterday, ever since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic early this year, illegal foreign workers working in oil palm plantations have either fled or were rounded up in the frequent enforcement raids and deported, leaving these smallholders with a serious shortage of manpower.
Even if these smallholders are willing to pay more for new hires, there are no foreign workers available.
The price of fresh fruit bunches had been on the slide two years ago, hitting a low of RM280 per tonne before hovering around RM350, a level at which smallholders have problems meeting the cost of production. The price had since bounced back.
But just when they thought the worst was over when the price picked up, they found themselves seriously short of workers to harvest their fruits.
Take Raub in Pahang for example, the state government’s action against illegal durian farms had also drawn the attention of enforcement officers to illegal workers in oil palm plantations, forcing smallholders to lose up to 80% of their foreign workers, an affected smallholder told the daily.
The smallholder said although many plantation owners have outsourced harvesting to contractors, the latter also face the labour shortage problem.
Pahang Fruit Farmers Association chairman Melissa Yap also highlighted the problem of labour shortage facing fruit farmers.
