Berita Arkib

Local councils not committed to promoting tourism

Philippines inaugurate new palm plantation; further development slated

Biotech in the third world: A hostage of eco-propaganda?

California power to be supplemented by new biodiesel generating plant

CPO set for further volatile trade23/7/01(The Star) - CRUDE PALM OIL futures prices at the MalaysiaDerivatives Exchange (MDEX) resumed its bullish momentum last week andrebounded sharply in early trading, but the upward rally fizzled as theOctober contract failed to hold successfully above the RM1,200 per tonnelevel and encouraged many long position holders to realised their windfallprofits.The October futures contract was lifted from a weekly low of RM1,026 tofresh contract highs at RM1,238 and returned a large portion of itsearlier gains to settled the week higher at RM1,145, up RM65 per tonnefrom a week ago.Based on chart, the October futures prices are set for more wide range andchoppy trading and volatility would likely reign this week considering thelarge amount of short-term money moving in and out of the market motivatedby short-term ideas recently.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures rebounded from early lows on Monday as political tension in neighbouring Indonesia sparked talk of supply disruptions, traders said.By the midday break, the third-month October contract eased seven ringgitto 1,140 ringgit ($300) a tonne compared with Friday's closing at 1,147ringgit.

Sell As Much Palm Oil Stocks Now, Urges Lim Keng Yaik

ACCCM Plans Trade And Investment Mission To Iran

Sunflower oil may contribute to rise in child asthma7/20/2001- Health conscious parents who choose sunflower oils, spreads andmargarines may be contributing to the asthma epidemic among youngchildren, a study suggests.Researchers have found that a diet high in polyunsaturated fats doublesthe risk of the lung disorder in pre-school children. But because a directlink between fat intake and asthma has not been confirmed, the authors ofthe study said parents should not change their children's diets.The same study of 1,000 children aged three to five also found thatbreastfeeding and large families protected against asthma.Asthma has reached epidemic proportions in Britain over the past fewdecades. One in seven children now suffers from the disorder.The rise in asthma since the 1960s has coincided with many changes inlifestyle and diet including the growth of central heating, fitted carpetsand double glazing. During the 1970s and 1980s sales of saturated animalfat such as butter and lard fell as more and more people turned topolyunsaturated spreads, margarines and oils.The team from the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne asked parents tocomplete a questionnaire, which included questions on diet, asthmadiagnosis, their child's medical history and the consumption of fat. Theywere also asked whether their child was breastfed.One in five of the children suffered from asthma. Polyunsaturated fats inmargarine, vegetable and sunflower oils accounted for 17 per cent of thecases studied.Breast-feeding and having three or more older siblings reduced the risk ofasthma. Having a parent with asthma doubled the risk. A seriousrespiratory infection before the age of two increased the risk by 93 percent.Polyunsaturated fats contain two types of fatty acids - omega-3 andomega-6. Omega-6 fatty acids, found in sunflower oil, increase the risk ofinflammation, which could increase the risk of asthma. But omega-3 fattyacids, found in fish, soya bean and flax, have an anti-inflammatoryeffect.Dr Michelle Haby, who reported the findings in the journal Thorax, said:"An increase in omega-6 means less omega-3 fatty acid, which inhibitsinflammation."But at this stage children should not be changing their diet. The studyonly showed an association between polyunsaturated fats and asthma. Wehave not shown that these fats cause asthma, nor do we know whetherchanging the diet will reduce the risk or severity of asthma."Dr Martyn Partridge, chief medical adviser at the National AsthmaCampaign, said more research was needed to establish why asthma wasincreasing."The new evidence in this paper that suggests a reduction inpolyunsaturated fats may also reduce the likelihood of developing asthmais helpful but we are still a long way from being able to say why thisdisease is becoming more common."- by NICOLE MARTIN

CPO price rise brings cheer(Business Times)THURS, 19 July 2001 - The rise in palm oil prices, ifsustainable, is good news for the industry, the smallholders and theMalaysian economy in general.

Jakarta unrest delaying commodity pacts with KL

Napocor to use coconut fuel to run its power plantsBusinessWorld (Philippines) 7/18/2001- DAVAO CITY - The National PowerCorp. (Napocor) will soon be buying fuel from the coconut industry.This was what Napocor president Jesus Alcordo told the Mindanao BusinessCouncil (MBC) through a recent letter.Initial purchase, however, will be limited to a few plants, he said in theletter. The power firm is also assessing the cost efficiency should itincrease the use of coconut products as power plant fuel.Last February, MBC members drafted a resolution submitted to PresidentGloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the state power firm to explore ways to usecoconut oil as fuel.Coconut industry leaders on the island have been complaining of mountinglosses due to the low price of vegetable oil and copra in theinternational markets.Copra prices were tracked at around P13 per kilo in 1999. In February thisyear, copra price dropped to below P5 per kilo at farm gate. Recent futureprices, however, show signs of recovery.Using the port of Rotterdam in Netherlands as reference, coconut oilSeptember deliveries were quoted at $335 per ton inclusive of cost,insurance and freight.Deliveries in January this year at the same port were at $315 per ton.Mr. Alcordo said initial studies done by Napocor show that coconut oil(CNO) and coco methyl ester (CME) could be used as fuel substitutes."However, despite the outcome of our study, we have agreed with theDepartment of Agriculture (DA), to proceed with the demonstration testingon the use of CNO and CME in select power plants," Mr. Alcordo said in theletter.He added that Napocor has proposed to the DA the creation of aninteragency task force that will formulate the methodology in conductingthe tests in selected power plants.Mr. Alcordo pointed out that "using CNO and CME is not yet economicallyviable, at the moment, due to higher prices compared with fuel oil anddiesel."The state power firm is a heavy dollar user because of its bulk purchasesof imported fuel to run its power plants.Based on data from the National Statistics Office, Mindanao has 1.6million hectares planted to coconut. This comprises roughly 51% of thetotal area planted to this commodity. The island also supplies roughly 60%of the 12 million tons of coconut the country produces annually.Due to depressed prices of coconut products in the international marketand low productivity of coconut farms, a section of the island'sagribusiness sector has recently recommended the promotion of oil palmfarming.Oil palm is a direct competitor of coconut in the international market.Based on initial reports, at least 300,000 hectares of lands on the islandare suitable to oil palm trees.