29/12/2010 (IIFL) - Coconut oil prices breached record levels to touch Rs 86 a kg in the South. A combination of factors including renewed buying interest from corporate companies, unavailability of copra in local markets, new found demand for edible copra in North India and firm trends in the price of palm oil and palm kernel oil took coconut oil to new highs.

With industrial demand absorbing most of the copra from Tamil Nadu markets, copra arrivals in Kerala have fallen sharply. Copra prices have soared to Rs 60 a kg up from Rs 55.80 last week.