Archived News

15/07/2013 (New Straits Times) - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said yesterday smallholders should not only focus on producing commodities, but also must be involved in activities that add value to their produce and increase income.

15/07/2013 (Hindu Business Line) - Malaysian palm oil futures on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange ended sharply lower Friday due to several negative factors. Rumors about European lawmakers backing a proposal to limit the use of biofuels in the region's transport sector coupled with higher than expected soy stockpiles by the U.S. Department of Agriculture sparked selling pressure. During the week prices recovered following dovish remarks by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, but the rise could not be sustained, as concerns that palm oil stockpiles could rise again as CPO production picks up in the second half of 2013 weighed on sentiment. An uptick in production data from industry regulator the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) signalled the start of a higher yield cycle. Stocks in Malaysia, the world's No.2 producer, fell to a more than two-year low of 1.61 million tonnes in June as demand outstripped supply.

15/07/2013 (The Star) - Al-Hadharah Boustead REIT will be taken private by its parent company, Boustead Holdings Bhd, making it the first REIT in the country to be privatised, according to sources.

15/07/2013 (Borneo Post) - As a scientist who tries to explain theories in layman’s terms, acclaimed peat soil expert Dr Lulie Melling goes a bit further to put her points across.

13/07/2013 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures plunged more than 3 percent on Friday on investor concern that the weak export picture could stretch into the months ahead, triggering a technical selloff which caused prices to fall to their lowest in more than two months.

13/07/2013 (Bloomberg) - Palm oil slumped the most in more than four months after the U.S. government increased estimates for the country’s soybean output and stockpiles before the next harvest, boosting the outlook for global oilseed supplies.

13/07/2013 (The New Indian Express) - The State Government has decided to undertake oil palm cultivation on 30,000 hectares of land by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan.

13/07/2013 (Business Times) - Malaysia hopes the European Commission and Parliament will consider the plight of the thousands of oil palm smallholders who would be adversely affected by the proposed changes to the Renewable Energy Directive (RED).

13/07/2013 (Hindu Business Line) - Edible oils market witnessed dull trading day on Friday due to heavy rain and bearish futures. Lack of demand led activities to remain isolated and very thin. Stockists preferred to stay away. In Mumbai, groundnut oil extended further gains by Rs 10 tracking continuous bullish trend in Saurashtra market. Sunflower oil was increased by Rs 5-10. Soyabean refined oil dropped Rs 4 for 10 kg. Palmolein, rapeseed and cotton oil were steady.

13/07/2013 (Biodiesel Magazine) - With 53 percent raw material content, rapeseed oil remains the most important raw material source for the production of biodiesel in Germany, followed by palm oil with 25 percent, and coconut and soy oil at 11 percent each. This is the result of the study presented by the Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen e.V. (UFOP). Sixty filling stations of mineral oil companies throughout Germany—weighted according to market shares—were sampled and the biodiesel component in the diesel fuel, as well as its raw material composition, were determined on behalf of the UFOP.

13/07/2013 (Jakarta Globe) - The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a self-regulating industry body, has defended four out of five of its member companies accused of contributing to forest fires in Sumatra that blanketed Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand in thick smoke last month.

13/07/2013 (BakeryAndSnacks.com) - A WWF report published on June 26 entitled ‘Palming Off a National Park: Tackling Illegal Oil Palm Fruit in Riau, Sumatra’ alleged that Wilmar International has been trading illegally-grown palm oil in Indonesia. Findings in the report are based on an investigation conducted by WWF-Indonesia from February 2011 to April 2012.