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BOMBAY, Sep 23 (Reuters) - India's edible oil imports are likely to fallby over six percent next year as domestic production of oilseedsincreases, a leading industry official said on Sunday.Edible oil imports are likely to fall to 5.15 million tonnes in the yearending October 2002 from an estimated 5.5 million tonnes in the currentyear, Dorab E. Mistry, Director of Godrej International Ltd, told avegetable oil conference.He estimated India's edible oil production at 8.21 million tonnes nextyear, up from 7.16 million tonnes."Projected bumper crops in the forthcoming oil year will add one milliontonnes to the supply of oil but will reduce imports by just 350,000tonnes," he told the Globoil India conference.The balance will be taken up by normal growth in per capita consumption, arise in population and re-building of stocks, said Mistry, who is based inLondon.Godrej International is a leading global trading house.According to industry estimates, India's winter-harvest oilseedsproduction is likely to rise to 17 million tonnes in 2001/02 from 15.8million the previous year.He said palm oil imports could fall to 3.15 million tonnes from 3.64million during the review period, while imports of soyoil may rise to 1.6million tonnes from 1.37 million tonnes."If South America expands soybean cultivation by another 10 to 15 percent,the pressure from soybean oil on palm in the months April to August 2002could be awesome," Mistry said.He said India will continue to import large volumes of soyoil, unless itreduces import duties on crude palm oil (CPO) and refined, bleached anddeodorised (RBD) palm olein. "This creates a dark cloud over palm."India imposed its heaviest-ever duty of 85 percent on RBD palm olein and75 percent on CPO in February. But the duty on soyoil remained unchangedat 45 percent due to the country's commitment in the World TradeOrganisation.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 (Reuters) - An expected fall in output and possiblehoarding in case of retaliation for deadly aerial attacks against theUnited States could soon push the price of crude palm oil back above 1,000ringgit ($263) a tonne, Malaysian plantation giant Kumpulan Guthriebelieves.CPO prices, which reached about 1,300 ringgit per tonne in early August,have been particularly volatile since the attacks on New York andWashington on September 11.The benchmark third-month futures contract fell as low as 890 ringgitlast week from over 1,000 ringgit on the day of the attacks. But by Fridayit had climbed back to 993.In an interview late on Friday, Guthrie Group Chief Executive OfficerAbdul Khalid Ibrahim said he expected the recovery to continue, pushingprices back through the 1,000 ringgit barrier."The reason why I'm more bullish is partly because I think people willstock up in times of uncertainty," Khalid told Reuters.Traders are worried about a possible disruption in shipments from Malaysiaand Indonesia to Pakistan, a major market for the two top producers, inthe event of retaliatory attacks by the United States.Pakistan borders Afghanistan, accused by the United States of harbouringfugitive guerrilla leader Osama bin Laden, who the White House says is theprime suspect in the attacks.One plantation analyst noted that during the 1991 Gulf War CPO pricesactually appreciated about 30 percent despite the cloud hanging over thebig Middle East market, which accounts for about 15 percent of palm oilconsumption.Khalid said an expected decline in Malaysia's CPO output and stocks couldalso prop up prices.He said Malaysian palm oil stocks had fallen as low as 880,000 tonnes atthe end of August, less than a month's requirement and down by a steep320,000 tonnes from a year earlier.Khalid said there would be a seasonal increase in production and stocksthis month, but they would still be sharply below last September's levels.For the September-December period, Khalid expects Malaysian CPO productionto be 600,000 tonnes lower than a year earlier.He sees palm oil stocks ending the year at 900,000 tonnes, a three-yearlow.Khalid said he also expected exports to be robust, despite concern overdisruption to shipments, as palm oil is relatively cheap compared withother vegetable oils.India, the biggest palm oil market, is likely to start buying again in thenext few weeks because of the low prices, he said.For all of 2001, Guthrie expects Malaysia to produce 11.3 million tonnesof CPO, up from 10.8 million tonnes last year.

Kuala Lumpur, 25 September 2001(Business Times) - PALM oil shippers areexpected to face higher freight rates and also a "war risk" insurancepremium for shipments to Pakistan and the neighbouring areas on fears ofpossible US military action in Afghanistan.

Kuala Lumpur, September 24, 2001 (The Star) - IOI Group Bhd’s strategy inexpanding its manufacturing business locally and worldwide lies inaggressive marketing to win not only existing customers but also new ones.According to IOI Bhd’s executive director Lee Yeow Chor, the group hasestablished major selling points worldwide to promote its palm oilproducts.“We have set up certain strategic ports in Europe and maintained the brandname Acidchem which is widely known,” said Yeow Chor referring to theoleochemical industry.IOI bought a strategic stake in Palmco Holdings Bhd in March 1997. Palmco,which is the target of a takeover bid by diversified group Sime Darby Bhd,has posted strong results for the year ended June 30, 2001.Its pre-tax profit jumped 62% to RM88.65mil from RM54.45mil previously.Its core oleochemical operations, including its 30% associate FattyChemical (M) Sdn Bhd, has contributed about RM131mil or 93% to the group’searnings.“Many of the oleochemical products are substitutes for petrochemicals.Palm oil is the most attractive substitute and as Malaysia is the largestworld palm oil producer, the oleochemical share (in the palm oil industry)is very important,” said Yeow Chor in an interview in Puchong recently.Malaysia, he contends, has a crucial role to play in the oleochemicalindustry, since the products are widely used in many countries.When CPO prices drifted downwards last year, earnings from theoleochemical sector helped cushioned the negative impact to thebottomlines.Oleochemicals are used in a wide range of products such as cosmetics,perfume and detergents that are necessary for modern living.Such strong earnings potential from the oleochemical industry promptedconglomerate Sime Darby Bhd to make takeover bid on Palmco Holdings whichSime said represented a good synergy with its plantation business.According to an IOI statement, the company intends to retain the listedstatus of Palmco. The deadline for the shareholders’ acceptances isexpected to be on Oct 10.At the end of the day, one institutional investor said the oleochemicalindustry was regaining its brilliance and that the Sime-IOI episode servesas a wake-up call to investors and market players on the tremendouspotential of the oleochemical industry.

17 September 2001 (Business Times) - RIKEVITA (M) Sdn Bhd will beinvesting RM106 million on a new plant to manufacture vegetablebased foodemulsifiers to tap the growing global demand.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- Four power purchase agreements (PPAs)to supply power using renewable energy sources would be signed before theend of the year to produce a total of 23 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

NEW DELHI, (Sept. 18) - SOYABEAN production is expected to fall to 51lakh tonnes (lt) this year, from last year's level of 53.04 lt,notwithstanding an increase in acreage from 58.12 lakh hectares to 60.02lakh hectares, according to the latest projections made by the SoyabeanProcessors Association of India (SOPA).

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- Siemens Power Generation (Siemens PG),one of the premier companies in the international power generation sector,had been approached by a few parties in Malaysia which are interested inits techology and expertise in relation to utilisation of biomass forpower generation projects.Alfons Frank, Siemens Power Generation's head of plant acquisition,industrial turbines and power plants said that there are between three andfour proposed biomass projects in Malaysia.

20 September 2001 (Business Times) - TENAGA Nasional Bhd will enter intofour separate deals by year-end to buy power from plants that are fuelledby renewable resources like biomass and gas produced from landfills.

NEW DELHI (20/9/200) - STUNG by rising edible oil imports and only asmall increase expected in kharif oilseeds crop, government has prepareda blueprint on derived oilseeds like cotton and perennial crops likecoconut and oil palm to increase the domestic production.

HYDERABAD, (Sept. 18) - THE soya crop in the country is in a criticalphase at present and if there are no rains in a couple of days, the cropoutput is estimated to decline drastically. A prolonged dry spell isaffecting the crop which currently at pod formation stage.

SUKKUR, Sept 17 (Asia Pulse) - The Pakistan Oilseeds Development Board(PODB) in Sindh plans to import 100,000 seedlings of oil-palm fromMalaysia in the current year, in order to meet the growing demand in thecoastal districts of Thatta (Sindh) and Uthal (Balochistan).The PODB's director in Sindh, Waris Shaikh, said the board had a balancequantity of 37,518 plants and there was a demand for 71,000 plants inthese two districts.He said in addition to promoting the non-traditional oilseed crops in thecountry, the PODB was also concentrating on the introduction of oil-palmplantations in the coastal belt of Sindh and Balochistan, in collaborationwith the Malaysian government.The PODB director said there was a great potential for oil-palm sowing inthe coastal belt of Thatta, Badin, and Uthal.He said that in 1998-99, the PODB imported 135,000 oil-palm seedlings fromthe Malaysian Palm-oil Board, which are kept in two nurseries of Gharonear Thatta in Sindh and Uthal in Balochistan.He said both nurseries are in good condition. The plantation was made onprivate, public sector and state lands, he added.