NEW DELHI: The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) expects palm oil exports to recover in the second half of this year due to stronger festival season demand in key markets.
“The demand, particularly from India, is due to the need to replenish stock for the festive season, attractive palm oil pricing and lower import duty on crude vegetable oils,” MPOB director-general Datuk Dr Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir told Bernama.
Ahmad Parveez was in New Delhi last week to speak at a conference organised by the Indian Vegetable Oil Producers’ Association.
In the first half of this year, Malaysian exports of palm oil and palm-based products dipped 7.4% to 11.39 million tonnes compared with the January-June period last year, according to MPOB.
Palm oil exports were recorded at 6.95 million tonnes during the half-year period, representing a drop of 7.7% over the corresponding period in 2024 as demand weakened in India, China, the European Union, Bangladesh and Egypt.
Nonetheless, despite a drop in the overall palm oil exports in the first half of 2025, Malaysia saw a growth in volumes to the Philippines, Iran, Kenya and Nigeria.
Ahmad Parveez said although export tonnage had dropped, Malaysia’s earnings from palm oil and palm products during the January to June 2025 period surged 9.3% to RM53.43bil compared with the same period last year.
The value of palm oil exports almost hit a total of RM34bil.
Malaysian palm oil has gained in geographical reach in recent years.
The country’s full-year palm oil exports by volume this year are projected to be 5.3% lower than the 16.9 million tonnes recorded in 2024.
On the Indian market, Ahmad Parveez said demand remained particularly strong in the food services, household, and food manufacturing sectors.
However, there are certain challenges, and one of them is India’s import tax.
“A key concern is India’s import policy, particularly the frequent adjustments to import duties.
“The recent hike in effective duties on crude palm oil to 27.5% and on refined palmolein to 35.75%, has significantly narrowed palm oil’s natural price advantage compared to soft oils such as soybean and sunflower,” Ahmad Parveez pointed out.
“While we acknowledge India’s policy objective to strengthen domestic oilseed production under the National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm, such measures have made palm oil imports increasingly cost-sensitive and less predictable,” he added.
The price premium of palm oil, along with ample global soybean oil supplies, has led to a drop in palm oil’s share in India’s vegetable oil imports to 46% this year from 59% in 2023, MPOC chief executive officer Belvinder Sron said at the same New Delhi industry conference.
However, Malaysia’s share in Indian palm oil imports reached 35% in the first half of this year compared with 30% in 2023, Sron said in her presentation. —Bernama
Source: The Star
