A drone buzzes among the trees on a humid Malaysian morning, keeping an eye on the ripening oil palm fruits. Self-driving trucks rumble over the uneven ground of the vast plantation, laying fertilizer and collecting the densely packed harvested bunches.
These are just some of the robots that the Southeast Asian country’s largest palm oil growers hope will take over the industry’s toughest and dirtiest tasks and provide a solution to the chronic labor shortage that is smothering the supply of the world’s most consumed edible oil is in danger.
With global inventories falling consecutively for the first time in more than 40 years, Malaysia has every reason to push for automation to boost production. Increased awareness of the industry’s problematic dependence on migrant workers — clouded by restrictions and labor abuses — has also encouraged companies to find alternative solutions, said Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha, group director of SD Guthrie, a government-linked company formerly known as Sime Darby Plantation.
