Archived News

10/5/2004 - Cargill, the largest private firm in the US, will link up withbiotech giant Monsanto to bring food makers an alternative source ofsoybean oil, used to reduce the artery-clogging trans fats in foodproducts.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 (Bernama) -- Foreign parties, including the World Bankand International Monetary Fund (IMF), had no say in the legislation ofMalaysia's macro economic policies, especially those concerningprivatisation, finance, liberalisation and trade deregulation, the DewanRakyat here was told Tuesday.

JAKARTA, Oct 5 Asia Pulse - Indonesia will expand its palm oil plantationsin Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua, Agriculture Minister Bungaran Saragihsaid.

JAKARTA (Dow Jones): Indonesia plans to increase exports of fatty acids toEuropean Union countries due to high consumption of the palm oilbyproduct, the Indonesian Oleochemical Manufacturers Association (Apolin), said Tuesday.

10/5/2004 CHEMICAL BUSINESS NEWSBASE - Biofuels, aimed at reducing varioustypes of atmospheric pollution related to transport systems, are in anactive phase of development in Western Europe, and particularly in France,spurred on by the Public Authorities. Within this framework, Technip hasrecently won six contracts, worth about EUR 35 M altogether, for ethanoland biodiesel units, which for most of them, implement the Technip Group'sproprietary Speichim technologies.

Mon Oct 4, 5:52 PM ET Health - AP

04/10/04 BUENOS AIRES, (Dow Jones)--Argentina's farmers probably willplant between 14.7 million and 14.8 million hectares of 2004-05 soybeans,the Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange said Monday.This would put planted area up from 14.5 million hectares a yearearlier, according to exchange data."The oilseed's planted area could show more growth, though not at thesame annual rate seen in previous years," the exchange said. "This seasonarea could accumulate another 200,000 to 300,000 hectares in addition towhat was planted the previous year."The exchange said several factors will have an influence over the sizeof planted area this year."Among others, the most worrisome are the local climate and the dangerof an expansion of Asian rust," the exchange said.However, the exchange noted that a severe lack of humidity ishindering the progress of such already-planted crops as corn and wheat. Ifthe excessively dry weather continues, farmers may decide to convert someof the area dedicated to these crops into soybean fields.Argentine farmers produced 32.2 million metric tons of soybeans in2003- 04, according to the exchange.The U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated 2004-05 soybeanoutput at 39 million tons. This forecast is based on the assumption thatfarmers will plant 14.2 million hectares and that the average yield willhover around 2.75 tons per hectare.

Monday October 4, 4:59 PM - NEW DELHI (Dow Jones)--An expected rise inthe use of bio fuels around the world may lead to a rise in the demand forand eventually the prices of vegetable oils in the next several years, anedible oil industry analyst told Dow Jones Newswires in a recentinterview.

04/10/04 JAKARTA (Dow Jones)--The Chinese government will raise its quotafor Indonesian palm oil imports to 1.5 million tons in 2005 from 1.2million tons this year, a senior official said Monday.

Tuesday October 5, 2004 - GOLDEN Hope Plantations Bhd is transformingitself into a more efficient integrated palm oil producer following therecent approval by shareholders of its rationalisation exercise, RHBResearch said in a report.

04/10/04 - Jakarta (Bloomberg): Indonesia, the world's second largestcrude palm oil producer, may raise its output by 4.8 percent in 2005 asfarmers and plantations increase planting of the crop, Indonesianofficials said.

04/10/04 JAKARTA (Dow Jones)--Indonesia plans to expand its oil palmplantation areas to 10 million hectares within three decades to more thandouble its crude palm oil output, Minister of Agriculture Bungaran Saragihsaid Monday.