19/09/2011 (Bernama) - Farmers, smallholders and those involved in the palm oil industry are enjoying better incomes as the global demand for palm oil products continued to grow this year, said Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.

He said Pakistan, India, Africa and China had increased imports from Malaysia and this was evident from the exports of palm oil products worth RM52.458 billion registered in the first eight months of the year.

Malaysia produced 12.012 million tonnes of crude palm oil between January and August against 11.102 million tonnes recorded in the same period last year, the minister told reporters at his ministry's Hari Raya open house here Thursday.

Dompok said if the current situation continued, it would tremendously improve Malaysia's export earnings.

Asked if Malaysia's earnings from palm oil exports could surpass RM80 billion this year, Dompok said:"There is still another three months to go before the year ends.

"But, everything is pointing out to earnings of more than RM70 billion, how much more depends on what happens till the year-end," he said.