Zuraida: Malaysia ready to help Indonesia address high palm oil inventories

Malaysia is ready to assist Indonesia in dealing with its high palm oil inventories, said Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin.

She said a working committee had been set up to assist Indonesia — the world’s biggest palm oil producer — in reducing its stock.

“As members of the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), we have to help each other,” she said at the closing ceremony of the Malaysia International Agricommodity Expo and Summit (MIACES) 2022 on Thursday night (July 28).

According to news reports, Indonesia’s palm oil exports have not gone back to normal levels despite the lifting of its export ban on May 23, as companies are required to show proof of their domestic sales before they can secure their export permits, a move which led to increasing stocks and, subsequently, falling prices.

Palm oil prices began to decline rapidly after Indonesia lifted the three-week ban, followed by the country’s waiving of the export levy for all palm oil products from July 15 to Aug 31.

Tags: palm oil, sales, levy, stock, inventories, exports, Indonesia, prices, Malaysia