Palm Planters in Malaysia Seek Robots and Drones to Tackle Labour Shortage

Meet the Palm‑Tree‑Hero: The Light‑Jet‑Pack Exoskeleton

Picture a Malaysian research student, Yong Peng (yes, that’s his middle name), hopping around an 8‑hour shift on a 3‑acre family plantation. He’s not wearing a cape—he’s wearing a clunky light‑jet‑pack‑style rig that has metal poles strapped around his biceps. His mission? Clip the hard‑to‑reach fronds and harvest massive bunches of oil palm fruit that are almost twice his height.

Why a “Jetpack” Looks Like the Future (or a Sci‑Fi Movie)

These long poles can tip up to 8 kilograms each. That’s not a light grab‑and‑go moment; it’s heavy artillery that strains the worker’s arms. The exoskeleton was built to redistribute that weight so the arms feel lighter, less fatigue, and a lot more fun on the job.

“My arms feel supported when I hold the pole,” says Haziq Ramli, the student who scored this creative outfit. He wears sneakers (because his feet’re not the cape) and smart glasses, ready for the next vertical farm tour.

Changing the Harvest Game in Southeast Asia

With Malaysia the world’s second biggest palm‑oil producer, plantation owners are scrambling to stop billions of dollars in losses—everything gets left on the tree because of the giant labour shortages. An estate owner, engineer and farmer named Hamidon Salleh, claims that two people are typically needed to harvest 10 tonnes of palm fruit in a month.

Building on the exoskeleton, Hamidon and a crew from Malaysia’s University of Technology (UTM) teamed up with Sime Darby Plantation to test the gadget. “With this exoskeleton, one harvester can do the same amount of work—10 tonnes—by himself,” he says. “We’re looking to cut down worker numbers by the same amount.”

Beyond Exoskeletons: Catching Fantastical “Drones” for Farming

Other big names like IOI Corp, Boustead Plantations, and FGV Holdings are rolling out fancy drones that spray fertilizer, drone‑map their estates, and even monitor tree health. The goal is to keep the workforce lean while keeping farms lush.

IOI has doubled its automation budget since 2022.
New machines such as electric wheelbarrows and motorised palm cutters cut labour needs by 25%.
Each tech partner is sparking a revolution, but the exact contributors stay under wraps.

Bottom line: between a high‑tech “jetpack” that practically gives you a superhero vibe and smart drones that put the farm in the cloud, Malaysia’s palm plantations are prepping for a lean future—marrying the old‑world charm of palms with a splash of high‑tech pizzazz.

Malaysia’s Palm Oil Push To Keep Up with a Labor Crunch

Fast‑lane to the Future: Malaysian palm producers are pivoting to machines as they confront a third straight year of falling output and a potential 20 billion‑ringgit hit to the economy.

Why the Drop in Yields?

Yields dipped to near 40‑year low levels during the 2020/21 marketing year.
The global edible‑oil squeeze—spurred by tensions between Russia and Ukraine—has made the supply even tighter.
Less workers on the ground = less produce.

People Behind the Plantations

Almost 80 % of the workforce is made up of migrants, mainly from Indonesia. But this year, pandemic restrictions left a hole of roughly 120,000 swath‑harvest folks.

Machine‑willing but Labor‑driven?

“We’ve noticed a real uptick in mechanisation as labor becomes a luxury in the palm industry,” said Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir, chief at the state‑run Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). “The trend is going strong.”

While companies had always leaned on inexpensive migrant labor to get the heavy crushing done, that easy hire is disappearing. The need to keep up has pushed many to invest more in farm‑robotics and automated harvesters.

What Happens if the Shortage Persists?

Future supply routes look even tighter, pushing up hiring costs.
Without enough hands on deck, output will keep sliding.
Manufacturers have already started turning down orders to cope.

So the palm oil chain is betting on gears and bolts instead of human moxie—maybe a sign that the future of Malaysian plantations will look a lot less sweaty.

Covid changes

How the Pandemic Put the “Drone” to the Front of Farming

When the world locked down, the only thing that didn’t pause was the drive to plug in and power up software that turns trees into data points.

“The world turned over a new leaf—literally”

Razalee Ismail, director at Meraque, summed it up: “COVID‑19 has accelerated digital transformation in plantations much faster.” And guess what? Companies are actually ready to spend and experiment with tech instead of waiting for a bull market.

Demand goes up, drones go up

From 3 drones in 2018 to 62 now.
And that’s just the start—another 100 drones on the horizon to keep up.

A single drone does the work of six people

Using artificial intelligence, each drone scans the forest canopy, identifies trees, ducks off nutrients, and it does all that in about the time it would take six workers. No coffee breaks needed!

Big clients give it credibility

FGV, Boustead, and Sime Darby have all signed up.

So the next time you hear someone say the coronavirus was a negative, think again—it’s also been a big boost for precision agriculture. And now, who’s ready for the next frontier?

Malaysia’s Harvesting Hurdles: More Manpower, Higher Costs, and Global Competition

Malaysia’s fertilizer factories are walking the tightrope between employee wages and output costs. If the country keeps letting labour grow unchecked, rising salaries may stack up with falling production, making it harder for Malaysia to keep pace with powerhouses like Indonesia, Africa, India, and Latin America.

Financial Boost for Tech‑Forward Farming

At the tail end of last year, a collaborative push from the business community and government poured RM60 million into automated harvesting technology. That money is meant to spawn smart machines that can pick fruit, cut vines, or skim rice without the need for a workforce.

The Long‑Term Plan (and a Countdown)

Now: One worker for every 10 hectares.
Next five years: Scale down to one worker for every 50 hectares.
Long haul: Aim for one worker per 100 hectares.

Ahmad Parveez from the state board warned, “We cannot be complacent as we’ve been before.” He reminds Malaysians that the road to efficiency shouldn’t be taken on a laid‑back treadmill.

Digital Apps and the Balance of Livelihoods in Indonesia

Across the border, some Indonesian producers are cautiously hopping on digital apps that tweak workflow and trim expense. They’re doing it slowly because automation could threaten the livelihoods of local workers. Imagine a farmer who spent years learning to pick mangoes by hand while now watching a software dashboard telling him when to harvest.

While the technology crunch promises a more competitive edge, it also brings a bittersweet reality: fewer hands on the ground but potentially harsher jobs for those left behind. Thus, the narrative isn’t just “more tech, fewer workers,” but also “less labour straining budgets, but who steps in when the machines fail?”

Bottom Line: Balance is Key

Malaysia’s journey should blend tech innovation with people-centric policies—think “smart farming meets human dignity.” Only then can it keep up with the fast‑paced world of agricultural exports and stay relevant on the global stage.

No quick fix

Machines Are Still Trying to Catch Up

Even though automation looks sexy on paper, the reality on the ground is a bit less flashy. The sprawling, uneven fields and towering palm trees in plantations still feel at home with a good pair of hands.

Labor‑vs‑Tech: The Real Deal

Only a handful of machines can navigate those wavy, open spaces as smoothly as a seasoned worker.
Most gear out there can’t keep the pace—or the quality—of human labor.

What the Experts Predict

Khor Yu Leng, the brains behind Segi Enam Advisors, points out that new tech might one day bulk up Malaysia’s workforce. But he tells us each hopeful gadget is still in “kid” mode and will need several years of polishing.

Battery‑Powered Drones: Quick but Short‑Lived

These high‑flying helpers only get up to a 15‑minute flight before they’re out of juice.

Exoskeletons: Fancy but Costly

Exoskeletons today aren’t giving harvesters the speed boost they’d crave, and with price tags running into the tens of thousands of ringgit, they’re not exactly pocket‑friendly.

Labor‑Saving Tech Goes to the Ground: Exoskeletons for Palm Oil Workers

In the heart of Malaysia’s palm‑oil belt, one researcher is putting a lot of “exobar” gear to the test. Hazlina Salamat, UTM’s brainiac behind exoskeletons for the palm industry, is spearheading a project that promises to make farm labour less of a boulder and more of a breeze.

Why a Suit Iconic (and Hefty) in the Palm World?

Muscle strain drops 22 % – Workers no longer feel like they’re carrying a sack of coconuts on their backs.
Endurance climbs 47 % – Harvesters can keep up the pace for longer before their knees begin to sound like a drumbeat.
Testing has shown the suits act like a body‑reinforcement that lightens the load on the arms, back, and legs.

Grim Realities & The Kinda Skeptical Workers

“We want to leap into modern solutions, but we’re also very careful not to rummage out too much of our cash at once,” Hazlina admits. “A lot of these technologies have to be proven first.”

Large investments are a no‑go for many plantations until reps can see tangible results.
Proving the tech’s worth adds a layer of safety for employees and a good cushion for ROI.

Beyond the Numbers: The Human Touch

Imagine a palm worker walking through rows feeling lighter and laughing at muscle fatigue as an old joke, not a current nightmare. Exoskeletons could turn daily toil into something a bit more “feel-good” than “feel-gear.” While the spreadsheets talk numbers, the actual field workers experience the brighter side of technology, like a lace-up suit that turns heavy lifting into a fun step‑dance.

Future Outlook

With the data rocking a clear win for strain reduction and stamina uplift, yet the industry’s cautious stride means the rollout will be gradual—and probably a bit comedic as a first‑hand view of the “Exoskeleton‑Jump” mishaps during trials.

Whether the next generation of palm oil harvesters will be drama‑free or still a few pratfalls away remains a matter of optimism and research. For now, Hazlina’s prototypes are a beacon that the future can be less of a physical cage and more of a human‑friendly adventure—ready to roll in the rows next season!

Palm Planters in Malaysia Seek Robots and Drones to Tackle Labour Shortage

Meet the Palm‑Tree‑Hero: The Light‑Jet‑Pack Exoskeleton

Why a “Jetpack” Looks Like the Future (or a Sci‑Fi Movie)

Changing the Harvest Game in Southeast Asia

Beyond Exoskeletons: Catching Fantastical “Drones” for Farming