THE cost of hiring foreign workers is rising in Malaysia and will continue to rise. In the context of turf grass maintenance and groundskeeping for golf courses, stadiums, football fields, parks and even landscaping, we can reduce the need for manpower by mechanising.
For example, using ride-ons instead of push mowers, walk-behinds or boom sprayers instead of knapsack or handsprayers, and the use of chemicals (plant growth regulators, slow-release fertilisers etc).
It is easier said than done. Machinery and chemical prices are rising and the tax on machinery are not helping. I’m sure, one day, the government will realise that the tax on a one-off purchase for golf course machinery is not much compared with what golf tourists bring in.
Rather than hoping employers, who want to bring in more foreign workers, will adapt to legislation, it would be beneficial to incentivise them to reduce the numbers too.
If the government not only removes tax on machinery purchases, but also subsidises a certain percentage of the machinery cost and the purchaser can prove that the purchase will reduce his number of foreign workers by “x” amount for “z” years, the number of foreign workers can be reduced. If they can prove they can exchange foreign workers with locals with the use of the new machine, perhaps more incentives can be given. However, this would be hard to police and enforce.
Here are several ways to reduce manpower for turf grass and groundskeeping maintenance:
USE artificial grass, not only for football fields, but also small areas that require a lot of labourers with a nylon-head brush-cutter;
PROVIDE more sun. Trees, hard-scapes, furniture and pergolas create shade that forces grass to grow faster to look for sunlight;
USE creepers like Wedelia or Arachis to pin to on steep slopes;
SLOW turf growth with chemical plant growth regulators;
FERTILISE judiciously. Avoid urea and use slow-release fertiliser;
DESIGN/REDESIGN area with intention to reduce need for labourers; and,
USE low maintenance shrubs or flowers for landscaping.