Malaysian firms report at least RM280,000 in extra haze costs
Masks and healthcare drove additional spending, while FMM cautioned that the survey does not represent manufacturers nationwide.
Haze-related expenditure reported by 45 Malaysian business sites reached at least RM280,000, with masks and medical care the main expenses, a study commissioned by the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) found.
The federation gathered replies between October 12 and 21 from 86 member sites, including 81 manufacturers. Its questions concerned the impact of haze beginning on October 5.
Some disruption was reported by 59 sites, of which 92 per cent faced increased expenditure. Among all sites surveyed, 26 per cent rated the disruption as moderate or significant.
FMM stressed that the findings could not be applied to the manufacturing sector as a whole. Selangor and Penang accounted for most responses, while Sarawak supplied only two, despite being identified by the study as the state worst affected.
The study did not put a value on additional costs throughout the economy, including protective measures, because public data for the season were unavailable. FMM president Jacob Lee Chor Kok said extended haze could leave employees ill or absent, interrupt production and deliveries, and increase healthcare and protection costs.
Separately, the study counted 422 city-days with API readings exceeding 100 across 13 Malaysian cities between July 1 and October 22. The corresponding period in 2019 recorded 207 city-days.
