A Malaysian firm is developing a harvesting tool for palm oil that could accelerate automation in an industry that is known not only for its gruelling conditions, but is also suffering from a chronic labour shortage.
Production of palm oil, the world’s most-consumed edible oil, is set for five-year lows in No 2 grower Malaysia after the government shut borders and froze hiring of foreign workers due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Farmers have been forced to let their fruit rot in trees, preventing them from maximising harvests at a time when palm oil prices have rallied to record highs.