9 May 2002 (Business Times) - MALAYSIA’S palm oil stock is expected to dipbelow one million tonnes by June, from 1.25 million tonnes at thebeginning of the year, mostly due to lower production amid stable exports.“Predictions by various quarters of an 11.5 million tonne output for thisyear, down from last year’s 11.8 million tonnes, look increasingly likelyto prove accurate,” a trader said.Various people had said the sector would start showing signs of biostressthis year after chalking up strong production growth of 10.55 milliontonnes in 1999, 10.84 million in 2000 and 11.8 million last year.They include Primary Industries Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik,Malaysian Palm Oil Association chief executive M.R. Chandran and a host ofanalysts.Industry watchdog Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) in a posting on itswebsite appears to confirm the prediction saying that national palm oilstock had, from 1.25 million tonnes in January and 1.29 million inFebruary, declined to 1.17 million in March.Private forecaster Ivan Wong puts end-April stock at 1.05 million tonnes,which will fall further to 935,000 in June and 845,000 in July.Official figures for April such as exports, stock and production are dueto be released by MPOB on May 12.Meanwhile, Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd, Guthrie Ropel Bhd and Highlands andLowlands Bhd all reported sharp declines in palm oil production for themonth of March year-on-year.Kumpulan Guthrie produced 20,925 tonnes (down 13 per cent), Guthrie Ropel4,535 tonnes (down 12.6 per cent), and Highlands and Lowlands 12,286tonnes (down 12.9 per cent).IOI Corp Bhd, however, boosted output 8.9 per cent to 193,854 tonnes fromFebruary.

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