India asks for six million tonnes of palm oil from M'sia, says DPM

KUCHING: Crude palm oil (CPO) exports to India continue to show positive development as the country's demand for CPO grew to six million tonnes, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

Fadillah, who is also the Plantation and Commodities Minister, said his ministry is detailing the efforts that need to be taken to meet India’s demand.

He said that for now, Malaysia is only able to export about four million tonnes to the country, thus making India the largest importer of Malaysia’s CPO.

"We cannot grant and sell all our CPO to just one country, so we have to also evaluate it. India has asked us to increase (exports) to six million tonnes, so we are detailing the (steps)," he told reporters after an informal chat session with oil palm smallholders in conjunction with Trek Commodity 2023 Sarawak Zone.

Meanwhile, commenting on China's commitment to the oil palm industry in Malaysia, Fadillah said that close cooperation, such as producing commodity-based products, would indeed give the country an advantage in increasing the amount of CPO exports to the country.

He said that the collaboration between the two Asian countries includes the production of Vitamin A capsules as well as plant-based meat products (vegan meat).

"The most important thing is that (China) agrees in principle with the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil Certification (MSPO), and this is an advantage for us,” he said. - Bernama