186,000 foreign workers needed in agricultural sector - Chan

PUTRAJAYA: About 186,000 foreign workers are needed to meet the demand for labour in the agricultural sector nationwide, said Agriculture and Food Security Deputy Minister Chan Foong Hin.

He said so far a total of 3,000 foreign workers have been registered through the Labour Recalibration Programme 2.0 to fill vacancies in the sector.

"The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) is working with several related parties, especially the Ministry of Human Resources and the Immigration Department to deal with the current labour shortage issue in the sector," he said.

He said this to reporters after attending the Agro-food Industry Dialogue Session and Special Briefing on the Employment of Foreign Workers in the Agricultural Sector here, today, which was attended by 400 industry players.

According to him, the Labour Recalibration Programme has given an alternative to the industry to hire foreign workers to help increase agricultural production.

Chan, however, said hiring foreign workers should only serve as a short-term solution to the labour shortage issue.

"Our main objective is to create enough employment opportunities and good income to attract locals, especially youths, to venture into the agricultural sector," he said.

-- BERNAMA