Felda able to cope with foreign labour shortage through various measures

KUALA LUMPUR: The shortage of foreign workers affecting most of the country's palm oil industry players does not present a great obstacle for the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) to continue to drive the development and sustainability of the agriculture sector.

Chairman Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said Felda had undertaken several initiatives to reduce its 50 per cent foreign labour dependence, including the use of mechanisation and automation as well as the recruitment and participation of local workers.

Since foreign labour shortage struck the nation following the pandemic, he said, the agency had strived to raise productivity by 30 per cent and cut operating cost by 20 per cent.

"We have also consolidated our plantation management by creating the Smart Plantation Management Solution (SPMS) for the management of large-scale plantations along with development starting January 2021.

"This was aimed at boosting management synergy and the farm yield of Felda settlers, and minimising operating cost with one system, one operation and one team," he told a media briefing here today.

SPMS involves the use of drone technology and artificial intelligence to realise precision agriculture, whereby aerial drone image data is used for tree count analysis, plant health determination, and vacant point monitoring.

He said the system would also be used for planning and monitoring the purchase of agriculture inputs accurately, which would indirectly reduce operating costs and increase plantation productivity.

Idris said Felda would also widen the use of mechanisation through Felda Plantation Management Sdn Bhd as well as teaming up with subsidiary FGV Holdings Bhd for the implementation and optimal use of mechanisation.

According to him, Felda has increased its ownership in FGV to 82 per cent. As at March 19 last year, Felda had a 65.6 per cent direct interest and 12.4 per cent indirect stake in FGV, based on FGV's 2020 annual report.

Meanwhile, Idris said Felda was encouraging the participation of locals through the implementation of small wholesale contracts (KBK), plantation operation brigade, and the Field-Gig application.

Through KBK, locals can become entrepreneurs/ contractors for small-scale farm operation work, whereby they are both contractors and employees at the same time.

BOL offers various special allowances such as motorcycle allowance as well as housing in order to attract residents at Felda settlements to become plantation workers.

Meanwhile, Field-Gig is an online job application system using a flexible smart app that allows applicants to choose the type of work, place and time that suit them best.

On the use of child labour in plantations, he said this was not an issue for Felda as it was normal for the local communities to bring children to the plantations to assist in doing light tasks during their free time.

"These children are not salaried like workers. Instead, they are only helping out their families when they are free such as during school holidays and it doesn't affect their studies," he explained.

Idris also noted that Felda had successfully obtained the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification for all its plantations, demonstrating its commitment towards sustainable plantation management.

Meanwhile, he highlighted several other Felda's achievements during 2020-2021 as well, including cancelling 80 per cent of settlers' debts, using drone mechanisation for crop fertilisation, and launching Waqaf Felda.

-- BERNAMA