The National Security Council (NSC) is currently studying the possibility of allowing refugees and asylum seekers to temporarily work in the plantation sector to address the issue of worker shortages.
Refugees and asylum seekers are currently legally prohibited from working in all sectors, including plantations.
Senator Datuk Dominic Lau brought up the issue of giving them the right to work on plantations given the current worker shortage and said it should be studied by the relevant ministry.
In response, Deputy Prime Minister Seri Fadillah Yusof, who is also the plantation and commodities minister, noted that a pioneer project to allow them to work on plantations had been previously implemented but failed, so the matter is now under review by the NSC.
As of end January 2023, there are some 183,790 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia.
Fadillah went on to emphasize that his ministry was dedicated to modernizing equipment and methods of planting in the oil palm sector, with a focus on intensifying the promotion of mechanization and automation through the Mechanization and Automation Research Consortium of Oil Palm (Marcop).
Fadillah also mentioned that his ministry and industry players have provided matching grants of RM60 million to fund Marcop. Additionally, RM50 million in funds have been set aside this year to encourage automation and plantation through the use of robotics and artificial intelligence.
Coconuts has reached out to relevant non-profit refugee organizations for their response on the matter.
