10/04/2009 (Bernama), Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia's palm oil stocks in March 2009 dropped by 12.89 percent to 1.364 million tonnes from 1.566 million tonnes in the previous month.

The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), in releasing the figures today, said stocks of crude palm oil declined 28.14 percent to 652,442 tonnes in March while processed palm oil increased 8.15 percent to 711,215 tonnes.

Palm kernel stocks went down five percent to 108,843 tonnes and crude palm kernel oil stocks was 13.25 percent lower at 199,356 tonnes.

The stocks for processed palm kernel oil increased 5.62 percent to 110,268 tonnes while palm kernel cake was reduced 5.76 percent to 210,747 tonnes.

MPOB said that crude palm oil production in March rose 7.44 percent to 345,477 tonnes.

Palm kernel production went up 8.44 percent to 345,477 tonnes, crude palm kernel oil output increased 0.64 percent to 161,305 tonnes and palm kernel cake rose 1.18 percent to 178,153 tonnes.

Exports of palm oil increased 0.23 percent to 1.260 million tonnes in March compared to the February figures and palm kernel oil went up 11.27 percent to 105,069 tonnes.

According to MPOB, exports of palm kernel cake dropped 11.35 percent to 180,029 tonnes and oleochemical fell 5.37 percent to 165,364 tonnes.

Crude palm oil imports in March went down 80.51 percent to 3,671 tonnes and palm oil oil declined 42.77 percent to 15,693 tonnes, the board said.

Processed palm oil imports, however, rose 40.05 percent to 12,022 tonnes.

The average price of fresh fruit bunches per tonne rose 7.48 percent to RM19.97 in March.