New Delhi, Dec 19 : Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi arrivedin New Delhi today for a five-day visit.

Accompanied by a large business delegation, Badawi is expected to push NewDelhi to lower palm oil duties. India is one of the largest importers ofMalaysian palm oil.

During his stay in the Capital, Abdullah is scheduled to meet PrimeMinister Dr Manmohan Singh and other leaders, besides holding talks withbusiness chiefs to boost bilateral trade. The current trade balance isfirmly in Malaysia's favour.

According to officials, during the visit Kuala Lumpur hopes to bag a largechunk of construction contracts in India.

India, the world's biggest edible oils importer, is likely to increasepurchases as it needs more supply to cover increased consumption and adelay in arrivals of domestic oil in the market, traders said.

It imports 50 per cent of its annual edible oil requirement of nearly 9million tonne, the bulk of which is palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia.(ANI)