A shortage of farm labourers in Malaysia is cutting agricultural productivity and pushing up the price of fruits and vegetables, reports AsiaOne News.
The Federation of Malaysian Vegetable Growers told the publication its members faced a severe shortage of labourers due to the 6P foreign worker registration programme, and that many registered workers were also leaving the countryside for higher wages in the city.
'Since August, crop production in Cameron Highlands and the lowlands has dropped by about 40 per cent because of bad weather and a lack of farm workers,' the federation's secretary-general Chay Ee Mong is quoted as saying.
He warned that if the labour shortage was not resolved, farms would not be able to produce enough crops to meet population demands.
The labour and crop shortfalls have caused produce prices to rise, he added, which in turn is affecting Malaysia's wholesale and catering sectors.
One chef in Malacca told the publication: 'At the moment we try to look for cheaper alternatives in our ingredients without compromising our food quality. But if the prices continue to increase, it will definitely be a struggle for us.'
