Palm oil promo in Iran and Pakistan

PUTRAJAYA: Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas is leading a palm oil promotion mission to Iran and Pakistan.

The visit, which started yesterday and expected to end on Jan 21, will explore areas for cooperation between the private sector in Malaysia and their counterparts in Pakistan and Iran.

Bilateral discussions will take place to explore exports of palm oil products with the private sector associations in the two countries.

Douglas will open a Palm Oil and Trade Seminar (POTS) in Pakistan, besides launching a Pocketbook on Palm Oil Uses in the Urdu language.

This pocketbook contains information on the palm oil industry in Malaysia and the use of palm oil products for both food and non-food purposes.

Cash crop: A worker plucking oil palm fruits which are later loaded onto a lorry (pic, above) for processing at a mill.

During POTS Pakistan, Douglas will witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Erafeed Sdn Bhd and Chapri Group.

The MOU designates Chapri Group Pvt Ltd, the largest importer of palm kernel cake from Malaysia, as a main agent to distribute palm-based animal feed.

Douglas will also visit Port Qasim Authority to assess the progress of joint venture projects between Malaysian and local companies in the areas of refining.

In Teheran, Douglas will open POTS Teheran and launch the Pocketbook in the Persian language, as part of promotion and efforts to strengthen the market share of Malaysian palm oil in Iran.

In 2012, Pakistan was Malaysia’s second largest trading partner among the countries in South Asia.

Malaysia-Pakistan bilateral trade in 2012 was valued at RM6.5bil.

Among the products exported, palm oil accounts for the largest segment with an export value of RM4bil.

Other commodity products exported to Pakistan in 2012 include products based on rubber valued at RM76.9mil, cocoa at RM33.8mil and pepper at RM2.42mil.

Iran is Malaysia’s fourth largest trading partner among the countries in the Middle East. Bilateral trade between Iran in 2012 was recorded at RM4.6bil.

Among the commodity products, exports of palm oil were valued at RM1.95bil. — Bernama