KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 (Bernama) -- The country's crude palm oil (CPO)output for May 2002 rose by 6.98 percent to 924,797 tonnes from 864,467tonnes a month earlier.Out of this, Peninsular Malaysia's production accounted for 542,042tonnes, higher by 8.58 percent from April's 499,224 tonnes, the MalaysianPalm Oil Board (MPOB) said in a statement here Wednesday.

However, total palm oil stock for the month fell 12.22 percent to 929,472tonnes as against 1.058 million tonnes in April.

Of this, CPO stocks had dropped by 6.79 percent to 506,780 tonnes from543,711 tonnes in the preceding month.

Meanwhile, exports of palm oil during the month had increased by 8.81percent to 939,971 tonnes from 863,873 tonnes previously.

AS for crude palm kernel oil (CPKO), its output remained constant at108,849 tonnes compared to 108,852 tonnes in April while stocks declinedto 216,687 tonnes, down 8.64 percent from 237,178 tonnes.

Exports for palm kernel oil had also dropped by 12.19 percent to 52,542tonnes from 59,837 tonnes in April.