KUALA LUMPUR: The severe shortage of workers faced by farmers has to be addressed to avoid potential losses to the economy, MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong says.
Addressing concerns regarding the lack of foreign workers in vegetable, floral and poultry farms, Dr Wee said there was a shortage of some 63,000 foreign workers in Pahang, Kedah, Johor and Perak.
He said this in a statement yesterday after meeting with industry representatives in the four states.
The group highlighted various difficulties, especially not having enough foreign workers to harvest their crops.
“These industries have contributed tremendously to the national economy,” he said.
Dr Wee, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said Cameron Highlands, the world’s third largest exporter of chrysanthemum, recorded an annual output of RM200mil.
“If the manpower problem is not resolved, the farmers won’t be able to harvest on time,” he added.
Although the government allowed the agriculture sector to hire foreign workers, Dr Wee said the scope was limited to areas like oil palm plantations.
He also assured that he and MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai would forward the farmers’ concerns to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.
At the 88th anniversary dinner of the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Chinese Coffee and Tea Shopkeepers’ Association on Monday, he was informed by coffee shop operators about their plight of having to comply with new rulings besides struggling with the problem of workers shortage.
They have sought Dr Wee’s help to employ 10,000 foreign workers.
Malaysia-Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors’ General Association president Ho Su Mong said a new regulation under the Food (Amendment) Regulations 2016, gazetted in May, required business outlets to place alcoholic beverages in different cabinets from those for other food and drinks.
“This means we have to buy another fridge or shelf for alcoholic beverages,” he said, adding that most of the premises were not spacious enough for this.
Ho said the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had also proposed that by next year all business premises needed to install closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs), failing which their business licences would not be renewed.
“This proposal came too sudden and is too harsh on us because the cost to fix and maintain CCTVs is not cheap,” he said, adding the two issues would further burden the operators, who also had to put up with the drastic inflation over the past two years.
“Although we are ever ready to offer our cooperation in whatever way possible towards the security of the people, it is not fair for DBKL to force us to install CCTVs,” Ho said.
Dr Wee said he would convey their problems and raise the issues with the respective ministers.
He said alcoholic beverages had all along been placed together with other food and he was puzzled as to why this became an issue now.
He also pointed out that the mandatory installation of CCTV proposal was unreasonable, and even if it had to be done, the operators should be given enough time to do so.
“When implementing any ruling, it should not be a burden to the industry players,” he added.
At the dinner, the coffee shop operators also highlighted the rampant cigarette smuggling activities that affected their business.
TAGS / KEYWORDS:
Government , coffee shop , wee ka siong , alcoholic
Source:
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/10/12/worker-shortage-hurting-farms-says-wee-urgent-need-to-address-severe-problem-says-minister/