Free from manpower constraints, Malaysia's oil palm plantations accelerate automation

Published Jul 8, 2024

Tridge summary

Malaysia, the world's second-largest palm oil exporter, is tackling labor instability and stringent human rights regulations by investing in automation technologies like drones, robots, driverless trucks, and AI. This shift aims to reduce reliance on foreign labor, which was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and forced labor accusations, and to increase female participation by lessening the physical demands of the work. Despite technical challenges, such as navigating hilly areas and identifying ripe fruits, and the need for skilled workers to operate automated equipment, industry leaders like SD Yatiri are optimistic that mechanization will boost production and operational efficiency.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

(Bloomberg, Kuala Lumpur) Malaysia is the world's second largest exporter of palm oil, but local oil palm plantations have been facing unstable human resources supply and increasingly stringent human rights regulations in Western countries for many years. Local oil palm operators have invested heavily to accelerate full automation to meet these challenges. Although the production process of palm oil has been generally mechanized, from removing old trees, loosening the soil, planting, fertilizing and pest control to harvesting, preventing theft and transporting mature oil palm fruits, it is still a dangerous, dirty and tiring job that relies heavily on manpower. Mohamad Hilmi, managing director of SD Yatiri, the largest oil palm plantation group in Malaysia, said: Helmy told Bloomberg that continuing to rely on foreign workers to complete all these key tasks puts the industry at very high risk. Gathili therefore decided to invest about RM100 million (about S$28.7 million) in ...

Source: Zaobao