28/8/2003 - THE International Palm Oil Congress, or PIPOC 2003, organisedby the Malaysian Palm Oil Board ended yesterday with a challenge toindustry players to embark on newly identified applications for palm oilwhile focusing on better market access, branding, efficient productioncosts, quality and competitiveness.

Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council (MPOPC) chief executive officer DatukHaron Siraj during a panel discussion on Positioning Palm Oil in GlobalOils and Fats Economy: Prospects and Challenges said the bio-dieselproject made from blending palm oil and diesel, for example, had thepotential to become a powerhouse for the industry, which had yet to befully exploited.

This is one of the new frontiers that we can further develop as thenon-edible side of palm oil in the international playing field in Europeand the United States, which are concerned over the environment aspects.

He also touched on the effective branding and packaging of palm oil andpalm oil products to effectively attract domestic and internationaldemand.

We need to seriously explore the boundless opportunities and applicationsfor palm oil in both the edible and non-edible segments. The biggestadvantage is that palm oil is an environmentally-friendly product, headded.

Haron said MPOPC would continue to push for further promotion andmarketing of palm oil in the international markets.

Now our biggest challenge is to on par with the other 16 major world oilsand fats producers, Haron said.

Haron said he believed that there was a lot of scope for palm oil to worksynergistically with other oils and fats, particularly soybean, sunflowerand rapeseed.

We must work together to make vegetable oils the preferred and acceptableoil to consumers worldwide, he added.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Palm Oil Association chief executive M.R. Chandransaid the time had come to identify the actual major users of Malaysianpalm oil (not importers) in India, China, Pakistan and the Middle East.

Let's give them special treatment, identify their needs and do specialpackaging so that we can sustain these important export markets.

Chandran also said local palm oil plantations must continuously enhanceproduction yield per hectare, and at the same time find ways to reducecosts.

Genetically modified products do not help increase productivity but ratherreduce losses in production as well as costs, he said.