9 July 2004 - MALAYSIA exported 4.64 million tonnes of crude palm oil(CPO) valued at RM9.28 billion between January and May this year.

Plantation Enterprises and Commodities Minister Datuk Chin Fah Kui saidthe volume exported during the corresponding period last year was 4.60million at the average price of RM2,000 per tonne

Chin said CPO is still Malaysia’s number one export commodity withearnings totalling RM27.7 billion last year, which is nearly half of thecountry’s total revenue from commodities of RM59 billion.

Malaysia is the world’s biggest grower of oil palm. My ministry’s aim isto boost the production further to make Malaysian CPO the global marketleader, he told reporters after visiting a palm oil refinery at PasirGudang, Johor, yesterday.

Chin said the ministry is making concerted efforts to raise the quality ofCPO to meet international standards for a bigger slice of the worldmarket.

We have to look toward better yields, and also introduce new productswhich incorporate CPO as an ingredient.

One important factor is to look at oxidising the impurities so that theshelf life of the produce would be longer as this would ensure not onlyquality, but also help bring down the processing cost, Chin said.

He added that other factors such as health requirement, freight andinsurance charges and labour are also being reviewed to ensure thatMalaysia remains one of the leading players in the market.