MPOC sees room to expand PH palm oil market
08/10/2026 (Inquirer.net), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - The Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) sees room to expand its presence in the Philippines, particularly through oleochemicals and other high-value products, its official said.
MPOC CEO Belvinder Sron said the industry group could leverage the country’s oleochemical sector to manufacture consumer goods such as laundry detergents, soaps, and personal-care items using palm oil.
“There’s still a lot of potential to expand the usage of palm oil, and this is something that the MPOC has been focusing on,” Sron said on the sidelines of the Malaysian Palm Oil Forum.
“That’s the future potential to bring in more revenue for this sector,” she told Filipino journalists.
Consequently, Sron said MPOC has seen opportunities to venture into other palm-oil-based products, including shortening, vitamins, and red palm oil.
“These are new sectors that we would like to tap. I think people are not aware of the benefits of palm, especially palm tocotrienols… Palm tocotrienols have a lot of health benefits,” Sron said.
Moreover, Sron said the industry group is looking at palm-derived carotene as a natural food colorant, noting that many food manufacturers are veering away from artificial colorants.
“Countries are becoming very strict about it. These would be vegetable oil-based colorants, very natural, that can be used to produce your products,” she added.
Aside from growing palm oil exports, Sron said MPOC is open to forging collaborations with the Philippines, particularly in the local coconut sector. However, no formal partnerships exist to develop the industry.
“If anyone from the Philippine coconut oil industry would like to have a discussion on this, we are always open to that,” she said. “I think if we can collaborate, it’s a win-win situation because a lot of coconut oil is also used in the chemical sector.”
Likewise, Sron added that MPOC is ready to offer technical expertise to various countries, including the Philippines, to help them develop their palm oil sectors.
Meanwhile, the MPOC reports that over 80 percent of Malaysia’s palm oil production targets international markets.
In 2025, Malaysian palm oil and palm-based products generated a value of $28.1 billion, contributing nearly 3 percent to Malaysia’s gross domestic product.
Furthermore, data from MPOC showed that Malaysia’s palm oil exports reached 722,507 metric tons (MT) in 2025, up 5.1 percent from a year ago.
MPOC said Malaysia is targeting to export at least 16 million MT of palm oil this year, up 5.3 percent from the actual shipment of 15.2 million MT in 2025. /pai
https://business.inquirer.net/614912/mpoc-sees-room-to-expand-ph-palm-oil-market