EARLY exposure to modern agricultural careers is vital to changing young Malaysians’ perceptions of the sector, says Bumiputra Training Providers Consortium chairman Nordin Abdul Malek.
More, he said, must be done through career guidance, industry visits, hands-on programmes and greater collaboration between schools, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions and industry.
“Many young Malaysians, including those from agricultural families, still perceive agriculture as a sector with limited career progression, lower income and physically demanding work,” he told StarEdu.
He said the issue is not simply that young people lack interest in agriculture, but that they are not being sufficiently guided towards the opportunities available in the sector.
Nordin also attributed young people’s perceptions partly to the continued association of agriculture with traditional farming rather than technology, innovation and professional careers.
“Agriculture businesses themselves must modernise to generate enough high-skilled positions to absorb graduates.
“At present, the agriculture sector does not yet have enough high-skilled positions to absorb all graduates because many agricultural businesses still rely on conventional practices rather than technology-driven operations,” he said.
He added that agriculture could not attract and retain young talent if the industry continued to rely heavily on conventional practices while offering limited opportunities for career progression.
“Salary alone is not enough to attract and retain young talent. Employers must also provide clear career progression, continuous upskilling opportunities, professional certification, attractive benefits, and a supportive working environment,” he said.
He stressed that Malaysia’s agricultural sector must create high-value jobs that can offer the competitive salaries and benefits young people are looking for.
Technology-driven areas such as agricultural engineering, smart farming, automation, drones and precision agriculture could provide graduates with better career prospects and long-term earning potential as demand for specialised skills grows, he said.
Nordin’s emphasis reflects the priorities of young people themselves, with higher salaries and better benefits emerging as key factors in their interest in agricultural careers.
A study by the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, released in July, found that 30.3% of non-TVET students and 25.8% of TVET students identified improved remuneration as the primary incentive to increase their interest in agriculture.
The report, titled “Youth Voices, Future Choices: Comparing Agriculture Aspirations, Perceptions, and Career Preferences Across Education Pathways in Malaysia”, concluded that economic returns remain central to young people’s career decisions and that improving the financial attractiveness of agricultural employment is key to raising interest in the sector.
The study surveyed 14,305 students aged 15 and 16 from 88 national secondary schools and vocational colleges nationwide.
Nordin also stressed that the transformation could not be left to the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry alone, calling for closer cooperation between the government and industry to ensure training matches actual workforce demand.
He cited the plantation sector as an example, saying there is an opportunity to train local workers for roles such as fieldwork conductors, but existing training capacity remains far below industry demand.
He said the broader agriculture and TVET ecosystem therefore needs to be restructured, from training and awareness to employment and career development.
He proposed a “private-public synergy” model in which government and private training providers work together, with the private sector taking on part of the implementation while remaining monitored by the relevant ministry.
Nordin added that climate change and growing food security demands are further reasons for Malaysia to invest in young people’s knowledge and technical capabilities.
Future farmers would need knowledge of agricultural science, technology, irrigation systems and other infrastructure to adapt to changing conditions, he said.
“Modern agriculture is no longer just about farming; it is a technology-driven industry where knowledge, innovation and specialised skills are increasingly recognised and rewarded,” he said.
