KUALA LUMPUR (May 31): Malaysia, the world's second-largest palm oil producer, will on Tuesday welcome the first major batch of migrant workers from Indonesia since reopening borders to staff labour-starved plantations and support a recovery in production. Palm oil estates, which depend on migrants for around 80% of their workforce, have been struggling to harvest palm fruit due to a labour shortage triggered by pandemic-related border closures in March, 2020. The workers are destined for Sime Darby Plantation Bhd, one of the largest plantations in Malaysia, and are among the 32,000 migrant workers allocated for the sector, said Hermono, who uses one name. The Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA) expects about 52,000 migrant workers to arrive by the end of the year but warned that it would be too little, too late to ensure output rebounded this year. Read also:Indonesia cancels plan to send workers to Malaysia's palm plantations
