According to caretaker Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin, the cause for the delay in foreign workers entering Malaysia is not because of local issues but from the source country as they have to undergo several screenings including health checks and so on.
She added the process in their country is what makes things a little longer than usual. She said this during an event promoting agricommodity, however, she said the target of RM300 billion for the sector could not be achieved this year due to COVID-19 and the problem of foreign workers.
Not expecting the impact of foreign workers on the sector, the arrival only started in August hence production target could not be achieved. Although the export value of agricommodities has not yet been achieved MPIC, believes that the export value will increase as the economy recovers. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, a total of 2.1 million foreigners working in various fields are in Malaysia as of June this year further giving impetus to the recovery of the sector.
The National Agricommodity Policy 2021-2030, which is a guideline to spur the sector is believed to be able to strengthen the position of the sector as the heart of the country’s economic recovery, it consists of five core pillars which are sustainability, technology, added value, inclusion and resource, and wealth sharing.
