No El Nino impact on palm oil till 2015: industry group

The Malaysian Palm Oil Association says any El Nino effect, should it happen in two or three months' time this year, would only be felt next year.

KUALA LUMPUR: Palm oil output in Malaysia is expected to edge up to 19.4 million tonnes this year, a senior industry official said on Tuesday, with any damage from a possible El Nino phenomenon likely to be felt only next year.

El Nino can induce droughts in some parts of the world while drenching others. Meteorology experts say the chances have increased that the weather phenomenon will strike this year.