Being one of the world’s largest palm oil exporters, Malaysia’s undisputable strength in palm oil comes in the form of a strong upstream presence. Labour issue: Worker shortage in oil palm plantations in Malaysia is believed to have ballooned to about 50,000, resulting in a loss of around 25% in palm oil yield. This time around, palm oil is hoarding all the limelight once again because the prices of crude palm oil (CPO) have sprung up to levels not seen since 2008. My opinion is that oil seed and vegetable oil prices will have to be higher in the years to come, so that oil seed plantings, investment in oil seeds, oil seed yields and oil seed production are being raised to compensate for insufficient growth in palm oil, ” he adds. On the intensifying campaign against palm oil in Europe in recent years and the worst-case scenario for palm oil demand, Fry regarded it as a zero-sum game.

Source: The Star March 26, 2021 23:37 UTC