186,000 foreign workers needed in agricultural sector, says deputy minister

About 186,000 foreign workers are needed to meet the demand for labour in the agricultural sector nationwide, says Deputy Agriculture and Food Security 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 the vacancies in the sector.

"The agriculture and food security ministry is working with several related parties, especially the human resources ministry and the immigration department, to deal with the current labour shortage issue in the sector," he said in Putrajaya today.

He said the Labour Recalibration Programme had given the industry an alternative way to hire foreign workers to help increase agricultural production.
 
He added however that 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.