ACUTE labour shortage is threatening Cameron Highlands’ agricultural sector, which can lead to severe financial losses for farmers and rising vegetable prices. Cameron Highlands Agricultural Cooperative Association representative Wong Seng Yee said the shortage was about 50 per cent, with at least a quarter of farmlands lying fallow. “The labour shortage delays harvest and replanting, thereby reducing yields, which means they are not able to meet their contractual obligations.”He said the situation could lead to higher vegetable prices. Cameron Highlands Malay Farmers Association president Datuk Syed Abdul Rahman said many farmers depended on manual labour due to geographical constraints. Syed said the ImmigrationDepartment should set up a foreign labour office in Cameron Highlands to make the hiring of foreign workers easier.

Source: New Strait Times January 20, 2018 22:52 UTC