KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 24 (Bernama) -- As the world's largest producer of palmoil, Malaysia has the potential to export more crude palm olein to India,said the immediate past president of the Solvent Extractors Association ofIndia (SEA) Sandeep Bajoria.

He said India preferred to import crude palm olein as the import duty onthe product only amounted to 65 percent compared to 85 percent in the caseof refined, bleached and deodorised (RBD) palm olein.

He said Malaysia should concentrate on exporting more crude palm olein toIndia as the demand is expected to rise.

"We expect that, in January, the import of crude palm olein will reach onelakh (100,000 tonnes) while in February and March it could reach 1.5 lakhs(150,000 tonnes)," he told Bernama during a recent interview here.

India's import of RBD palm olien declined by 20 percent during January andOctober this year against the same period last year.

The lower import was due to the higher tariff imposed on RBD Palm Oleinwhich also resulted in higher landing prices for the product.

Sandeep said the price of RBD Palm Olein should range US$350 and US$400free on board (fob).-- BERNAMA