Berita Arkib

New soybean variety with half the saturated fat is in testingUSA(M2 PRESSWIRE) 7/19/2001 : A new soybean bred by Agricultural ResearchService scientists for the Southeast fulfills two of the food industry'swishes for heart-healthy soy oil.Oil from the new soybean has half the saturated fat of traditionalvarieties -- specifically, the undesirable palmitic acid. And its portionof the highly unstable polyunsaturated fat, linolenic acid, is at least 40percent lower. That should reduce or eliminate the need for hydrogenationin many frying and food-processing applications.Hydrogenation generates most of the trans fats in the food supply, andtrans fats appear to increase risk of cardiovascular disease much the sameas saturated fats do. So the food industry wants to avoid hydrogenationwherever possible.The new soybean is named Satelite -- pronounced "Sat-elite" because it is"elite" for saturated fat content, according to Richard F. Wilson. Hedirects soybean research at ARS' Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation ResearchUnit (www.ars- grin.gov/ars/SoAtlantic/Raleigh/snfr) in Raleigh, N.C.Satelite is the first low-linolenic-, low-palmitic-acid variety releasedfor the Southeast, according to ARS agronomist Joseph W. Burton, whodeveloped the variety by traditional breeding. Its oil also has more ofthe desirable monounsaturated fat, oleic acid, than traditional varieties-- about 40 percent more. But levels still don't meet the industry targetof 50 percent of total fat.Through North Carolina Foundation Seed Producers, ARS is releasing alimited amount of Satelite seed this year to North Carolina StateUniversity and selected local farmers, who will produce around 5,000bushels of beans, enough for oil processors and food companies to test.The United Soybean Board funded part of Satelite's development and isproviding $77,000 toward the seed increase.If the oil performs well in pilot tests, it could help food manufacturersreduce trans fats in their products. Food labels currently don't includetrans fats. But proposed Food and Drug Administration rules would requirethat manufacturers add the amount of trans fat in a serving -- if itexceeds 0.5 gram -- to the amount of saturated fat stated on the NutritionFacts panel. The amount of saturated fat and its percentage of the "dailyvalue" would reflect the sum of the two.ARS is the chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department ofAgriculture.CONTACT: Judy McBride, ARS News Service Agricultural Research Service,USDA

Brazil To Send Trade Mission To Malaysia In October

Indonesia says still studying palm oil tax hikeJAKARTA, July 18 (Reuters) - Indonesia said on Tuesday it needed more timeto consider raising palm oil export taxes."We are studying the possibility of raising the taxes. But it can't bedecided soon. We need more time to observe whether the rise (in prices) istemporary or stable," Trade and Industry Minister Luhut Pandjaitan told anews conference.He said Indonesia was benefited by a sharp increase in internationalprices because it had boosted exports. But on the other hand the increasehad hit local consumers hard by driving up local prices of cooking oil.Cooking oil or palm olein, made from crude palm oil, is a sensitivecommodity in Indonesia and significant shortages can lead to socialunrest.Indonesia imposes the taxes to control exports, which usually rise sharplywhen the rupiah weakens or international prices increase.Pandjaitan said domestic cooking oil prices had shot up to more than 5,000rupiah ($0.44) this week from 2,700 last month, supported by soaringinternational prices."The government's target is to boost exports but we also have to protectdomestic consumers," Pandjaitan added.Traders said Indonesia was boosting exports to benefit from the risingworld prices.But Pandjaitan said local consumers should not worry about a possibleshortage of cooking oil because local supplies of palm oil are stillabundant and distribution was running smoothly, although the country'soutput was slowing.Indonesia imposes a three percent tax on exports of crude palm oil (CPO)and palm kernels, and a one percent tax on refined bleached deodorised(RBD) palm oil, RBD palm olein and crude olein.Pandjaitan said the recent sharp increase in international prices was dueto optimism on higher import quotas in China and lower duties in India."It's also because of a prediction of decreasing production of soybean oilbecause of an expected long drought in the United States," he added.Indonesian CPO was quoted at $375 a tonne cif Rotterdam on Tuesday from$326 a tonne last Thursday.($1=11,330 rupiah)

MIER Revises Downwards Msia's GDP To 2.2 PCT This Year From 4.0 pct

Three Main Reasons For Malaysia's Economic Resilience

Austral Builds Eco-Friendly CPO Mill

China says 2001 summer grain output seen downSHANGHAI, July 17 (Reuters) - China's worst drought in more than a decadeis expected to cut summer grain output by 4.6 percent from last year to101.9 million tonnes in 2001, the State Statistical Bureau said in astatement on Tuesday.Analysts said that would cause China's total grains output to fall for athird consecutive year in 2001, but the decline would not be as huge aslast year as there were signs the drought might be over.In 2000, grains output fell nine percent year-on-year to 462.5 milliontonnes, the lowest since 1994, due to a drop in planting area andunfavourable weather."It is inevitable that our overall output will drop this year becausewe've seen falls in some rice crops and now summer grains," said analystBu Yibiao at the official State Cereals Information Centre in Beijing.The bureau said the summer output would fall because of a smaller plantedacreage and poor growing weather. It gave no breakdown of the crop.Winter wheat accounts for the majority of the summer grain crop, whichaccounts for more than 20 percent of China's annual grain production.The State Cereals Information Centre said in June China's winter wheatoutput was expected to fall 7.1 percent year on year to only 87 milliontonnes in 2001 due to a severe drought in key growing provinces in thenortheast.WORST DROUGHT OVERThe rest of the summer grains crop includes rapeseed and barley, analystssaid.In the past few months, China has been fighting its worst summer droughtin years, prompting cloud seeding in June."The dry weather did affect the corn and soybeans in its sprouting stage,"said Bu. "Now, the drought is more or less over, which benefits the autumncrops, but we still have to watch other factors like frost later in theyear."Analysts said they expected China's soybean output to to fall to 13-14million tonnes from 15 million tonnes and corn production to rise slightlyfrom last year's 106 million tonnes.Weak prices have dampened enthusiasm for growing grains, reflected in theStatistical Bureau's estimates earlier this year that total grain acreagein 2001 was expected to fall 1.7 percent year on year to 107 millionhectares.Soybean areas have fallen and the only bright spot is corn, which has seenplanting expand due to relatively better prices.The State Cereals centre estimated the soybean acreage in the key growingprovinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Inner Mongolia and Liaoning woulddecline between 4.5 percent and six percent this year to around 4.27million hectares.

Fuel proposal could boost soybeans

Malaysia palmoil ignores CBOT, speculators activeKUALA LUMPUR, July 17 (Reuters) - Malaysia's palm oil futures defiedChicago's downtrend and were mostly higher by midday on Tuesday onspeculative buying, traders said.The new benchmark third-month October contract rose 66 ringgit to 1,180ringgit ($310.53) per tonne, a morning high. Volume was at 1,298 lots."Everyone talked about speculative buying," said one trader in KualaLumpur.Some traders said the market was overbought and rising too fast despitethe absence of strong fundamentals. They pointed to the prospects of afurther increase in July palm oil output, seen at up to 1.03 milliontonnes versus 924,855 tonnes in June."There is talk that our market has fallen to the hands of a group ofpeople with vested interests...those who take advantage of (recent) pricerises for their own benefit," said one trader."This is not a fundamentally driven market."Chicago Board of Trade soy product futures tumbled on Monday, followingsoybeans down as improved weather forecasts for the U.S. Midwest pressuredprices.CBOT soymeal futures settled at $1 to $5.90 per tonne lower, with Augustdown the most at $171. Soyoil futures closed 0.20 to 0.52 of a cent perpound lower, with August off 0.32 of a cent at 18 cents/lb.Physical July crude palm oil for the southern and central regions wasquoted at 1,170 ringgit a tonne against bids of 1,160 ringgit. Deals weredone at 1,150 to 1,160 ringgit for both regions.August crude palm oil for the southern and central regions saw offers at1,180 ringgit against bids of 1,170. Deals were done at 1,160 for bothregions.Among refined products, July RBD palm oil was offered at $327.50 a tonneand August at $330.There were offers for July RBD olein at $347.50 and August at $350. JulyRBD palm stearin was offered at $240 and July palm fatty acid distillatewas offered at $200.

Palm Diesel Set To Change Country's Future Energy Scene

TNB Willing To Buy Biomass Energy For Up To 17 Sen Per Kwh

Alternative fuels cited to reduce grain oversupply in USAUSA, 7/16/2001 (Western Farm Press) - The strength of the American dollarrepresents a "permanent handicap" in exporting American commodities;therefore, the only new market left to develop for buying what Americaproduces is the domestic one.That was the consensus of California producers testifying before the HouseAgriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Managementin Fresno, Calif., recently.How to expand domestic markets elicited several suggestions, including onefrom prominent Five Points, Calif., producer John Diener, who farmsprocessing tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, almonds, grapes cotton and wheat onthe west side of the San Joaquin Valley.Loan rates and acreage limitation programs have failed to bring suppliesand demand into balance, he noted.U.S. commodity loan rates, he said, have proven to be price thresholds atwhich competing countries often add production to their base, making itmore difficult for U.S. commodity prices to rise above loan rates.Alternative fuel sources Diener said could be a reliable mechanism toreduce oversupplies of corn, wheat and soybeans in the U.S. He recommendsselling surplus commodities to the government, converting them toalternative fuels to be sold on the open market.Diener recommended investing more research into making alternative fuelseven more cost effective.Even though he suggests more research is needed, "current alternativefuels make sense and can be competitive against conventional energysources."Burning corn instead of natural gas at 50 cents per therm translates into$2.50 per bushel corn. Ethanol needs a subsidy only as long as crude oilprices are above $22 per barrel.One of the biggest obstacles is increasing production of ethanol or otheralternative fuels.Diener said many potential alternative fuel manufacturing sites exist inrural America in the form of abandoned sugar mills. These sites, hecontends, often have 50 percent of the capital costs of an alternativefuel producing facility in place. Federal rural developing funds could beused to convert these plants.Diener suggests that the CCC purchase five to 10 percent of surpluscommodity stocks per month when prices are below loan rates and convertthese surpluses into alternative fuels sold monthly on a bid basis torefiners needing it to blend into gasoline to meet federal clear airemission standards.Diener said American agriculture is at its "breaking point." One way tosurvive is to invest in the research to develop economically competitivealternative fuels that consume excess agricultural commodities and convertthat surplus into much-needed energy.