PALM oil prices have been rising, and for growers that can feel, at first glance, like an unexpected blessing. Biodiesel economics begin to smile, freight costs twitch, and palm oil suddenly finds itself back at the commodity party. Yet there is another force, older and far less negotiable, that may yet join the performance: the climatic showman, El Nino. The Pacific may once again be warming its engines, and when El Nino stirs, agriculture across the world tends to feel the tremor. From wheat fields to rice paddies, maize belts to cocoa groves, El Nino has a talent for turning abundance into anxiety.

Source: The Star March 18, 2026 10:47 UTC