Minister of Plantations and Commodities, Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani announced that the number of foreign workers in Malaysia has now dropped to less than 300,000, compared to about 600,000 before.
He also explained that the country used to rely heavily on foreign workers, but now the government only allows them to be hired for the 3D sector, which is dirty, dangerous and difficult work.
According to Johari, the placement of foreign workers on plantations is determined based on the approval of a plantation. Generally, one foreign worker is allowed for every eight hectares of plantation.
For large companies, approval is only given when the plantation reaches 13 hectares for each foreign worker.
The statement was delivered when he attended the winding up of the debate on the Supply Bill 2026 Policy Stage at the Dewan Rakyat, yesterday.
Johari stated that this step was taken to encourage the use of automation and technology so that in the future the issue of hiring foreign workers can be resolved effectively.
In addition, the government also plans to implement automation in the plantation sector in stages to replace foreign labor and increase production efficiency.
Training programs for local workers are also being expanded through collaboration with TVET institutions, to produce skilled workers in the fields of modern agriculture and commodities.
