EU palm oil ban sows bitter seeds for South-East Asian farmers

Malaysian palm oil futures edged up at the close of trade on Friday, but remained largely caught in a range as demand remained tepid.

Indonesian palm oil farmer Kawal Surbakti says his livelihood is under attack, but the threat is not from insects or hungry orang utans eating his prized crop.

Half a world away, the European Parliament is moving to ban the use of palm oil in biofuels, while British grocer Iceland has announced it will stop using the commodity over concerns that it causes widespread environmental destruction.