KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (Reuters) – Travel restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, are causing labour shortages at Malaysia’s palm plantations, officials said. The world’s second-biggest palm oil producer relies on foreigners for 70% of its plantation workforce, drawing mainly from neighbouring Indonesia and from South Asian countries. Recruitment, however, has stalled in recent months because of stay-at-home orders in Malaysia and other countries to prevent the disease spread.
