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Malaysia raises palm oil export duty for April
Middle East conflict boosts demand for alternative fuels
CPO Futures Close Lower Amid Weaker Crude Oil, Soybean Oil Prices
Can palm biodiesel provide quick relief for Malaysia amid Iran war?
Plantation sector set to extend good performance
7 July 2002 (Business Times) - MALAYSIA’S plantation sector is expected tocontinue the strong performance it recorded in the first six months ofthis year, based on shrinking supply and growing demand.
MEOMA Appoints Palmco Oil Mill Sdn Bhd As New Pres
KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 (Bernama) -- Palmco Oil Mill Sdn Bhd was appointedas the new president of the Malayan Edible Oil Manufacturers' Association(MEOMA) at its 42th Annual General Meeting here, Saturday.Three vice presidents were also appointed namely Felda Kernel Products SdnBhd, Lam Soon (M) Bhd and Jin Lee (Oil Mills) Sdn Bhd.
Keng Yaik Urges Chinese Investors To Consider Oleo
KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- Potential investors from China areurged to look at Malaysia's palm-based oleochemical business as an optionto consider besides commercially exploiting the large quantity of biomassgenerated by the palm oil industry."We see the Chinese demand (for oleochemicals) is on a growing trend.
Lim leads palm oil mission to China
06 July 2002 -PRIMARY Industries Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik willlead a 10-day palm oil economic and investment mission to China startingtomorrow.
Austral To Build 2nd Palm Oil Refinery In S'wak
KUCHING, July 8 (Bernama) -- A crude palm oil refinery complex costingRM50 million will be built at the Kidurong Industrial Area in Bintulu toenhance Sarawak's palm oil industry, said Austral Enterprises Bhd'smanaging director, Dr Radzuan Abdul Rahman.The refinery, which is expected to be in operation in 2004, would beundertaken by a joint venture company, Austral Edible Oil, to be jointlyowned by Austral and Lembaga Amanah Kebajikan Masjid Negeri Sarawak(LAKMNS).
Bigger palm oil mill operational in Sandakan
Monday, July 8, 2002 - PALM oil producing region Sandakan, on the eastcoast of Sabah, is now able to cater for rapid expansion of oil palmplantations and subsequent increase in production following the recentcompletion of the new and better capacity mill, the Sepagaya palm oilmill.The mill, owned by the state’s leading oil palm-based Sawit Group, has amilling capacity of 45 tonnes of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) per hour.It replaces the Suan Lamba mill, which has a smaller operating capacity of20 tonnes per hour.In a statement on Saturday, Sawit Group said the Suan Lamba mill hasceased its operations and all palm oil milling have been taken over bySepagaya mill, effectively making it the sole milling operator in theSandakan region.“The opening of this mill coincides with Sawit Group’s business expansionprogramme for future requirement in crop processing,’’ it said.Sepagaya mill will be capable of milling up to 216,000 tonnes of FFB perannum. The capacity can be expanded to 90 tonnes per hour or 432,000tonnes annually to cater for increase in crop production in the future.Sawit Group is expected to process up to 1.4 million tonnes of FFB thisyear.“With the Sepagaya Mill, oil palm growers within the district also standto reap the benefits of the Sawit Group’s expanding milling activities asfair prices are offered for the harvest coupled with improved facilities,â€Sawit said. – Bernama(The informations and opinions expressed in this article represent theviews of the author only. They should not be seen as necessarilyreflecting the views of Palm News)
Guthrie defends decision to stake future in Indone
Tuesday, July 2, 2002 - KUMPULAN Guthrie Bhd has defended its decision tostake its future in Indonesia as the kind of forward thinking that couldwell double its earnings per share (EPS) in the near future.Its group chief executive officer Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahimacknowledged that there were investors and shareholders who still viewedthe company’s foray into Indonesia as a folly that had ramped up itsgearing to 1.19 as at March 31.He said it had taken a while for the group to get its 200,000ha Minamasplantations – for which it paid RM1.4bil – into order, but gave anassurance that things were now in order; and should crude palm oil (CPO)prices hold around the US$350 to US$400 level, “Guthrie is poised for avery successful time’’.Khalid said the best EPS the company achieved in the past five yearsamounted to 20.3 sen, in 1997.“With the acquisition (of Minamas), we can target to achieve a two-foldincrease in EPS,’’ he told a briefing for analysts at the group’s officein Bukit Jelutong yesterday,Khalid also pointed out that the contribution from the group’s Indonesianoperations had turned around from a loss of RM37mil in the nine months in2001, to a profit of RM10mil for the first quarter of the year.Guthrie, he said, was now working to accelerate its total crude palm oil(CPO) production to one million tonnes annually from about 500,000 tonnesat present, with the Minamas plantations to contribute about two thirds ofoutput.However, Guthrie, which already has 11 mills in Indonesia, would have toinvest quite considerably in an additional eight to 10 mills over the nextfour to five years to meet its refining needs.But prior to that, it is committed to addressing its total borrowings ofRM2.88bil as at end-March.Khalid said that Guthrie was taking the necessary steps to reduce itsloans to RM2.39bil by the end of 2004, through a programmed disposal ofhigh value properties, such as its recent sale of the Haron Estates toGolden Hope Plantations Bhd for RM565mil, and the proposed sale of a 10%equity in Minamas for US$45mil to US$50mil, plus the sale of Group Acompanies shares for around the same price.(The informations and opinions expressed in this article represent theviews of the author only. They should not be seen as necessarilyreflecting the views of Palm News)
Mart expects India to go on palm oil buying spree
05 July 2002 (Business Times) - MALAYSIA’s palm oil market expects biggestbuyer, India, to go on a buying spree anytime soon as it stocks upsupplies in anticipation of the Deepavali celebrations in November.
Oil palm biomass-based pulp mill being set up
03 July 2002 (Business Times) - THE world’s first pulp and paper mill thatuses oil palm biomass as feedstock is expected to start operations in thecountry by 2004.
