Malaysian palm oil industry suffering from labor crunch

In Malaysia, Reuters reports that the government’s restrictions on foreign labor in response to COVID-19 has exacerbated the tight labor situation for the palm oil industry which could cut yields by as much 25%. The national palm oil association says the industry was already in need of 36,000 workers before COVID-19 and the associated travel restrictions were put into place. Those restrictions are expected to remain until at least December, worsening the challenges faced by the industry.