Amid ‘fairly good’ weather, Malaysia’s palm oil production seen marginally higher this year
02.10.2023 (The Edge Malaysia) - KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 2): While Malaysia’s crude palm oil (CPO) production up to end-August this year lags behind the same period last year, the country’s annual CPO output could still be marginally higher this year than last, amid “fairly good” weather.
Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA) chief executive Joseph Tek Choon Yee expects annual CPO output to rise to 18.7 million tonnes this year from 18.45 million last year.
“Assuming CPO production for September to December 2023 is higher by 5% to 10% versus 6.88 million tonnes recorded in the corresponding period last year, total CPO production this year could end up encircling a total of 18.7 million tonnes or 1% higher than last year.
“Weather has been fairly good. Many workers are back in the estates and most have been upskilled during the first half of this year, although many are still relatively not as productive. In addition, East Malaysian CPO production is coming in strongly,” said Tek in a statement in conjunction with the MPOA's National Palm Oil Conference 2023 (NPOC23) on Monday (Oct 2).
Nonetheless, the ongoing recovery in CPO production is not without challenges.
One major concern is the difficulty in harvesting tall palm trees due to the ageing profile of the oil palm trees.
Additionally, there might be delayed effects resulting in lower production due to incomplete fertilisation programs, Tek added.