25/01/2013 (The Star) - China's quarantine authorities have allowed discharge of two palm oil cargoes from top exporter Malaysia, the first this year after the world's top buyer imposed stricter quality requirements from Jan. 1, traders said on Thursday.

One cargo was discharged at the port of Quanzhou in the southern province of Fujian, while the other one was unloaded at Zhangjiagang port in the east province of Jiangsu, traders said.

"The quality is in line with the national standards. So far there is no worry about rejection," said one trader at a state-owned trading house. Buyers earlier had worried that cargoes from Malaysia and Indonesia would be unable to meet China's new standards, which require lower values of stearic acid and peroxide.

Concerns about the impending quality requirements prompted Chinese buyers to increase palm oil imports, which in December hit the highest ever at nearly 1 million tonnes.

Palm oil stocks at major Chinese ports also hit record high levels of between 1.1 to 1.2 million tonnes, traders estimated.

On Thursday, Dalian palm oil futures were traded down, with the front-month February 2013 contract down more than 3 percent at 6,110 yuan ($980) per tonne by 0643 GMT.