Malaysia: Oilseeds and Products Update
Crude palm oil (CPO) production in marketing year (MY) 2018/19 is forecast down a half million metric tons (compared to official USDA estimates for the same year) due to industry reports that labor shortages are expected to continue to be a limiting factor for production during the year. With the recent Government of Malaysia (GOM) administrative change and the currently very low CPO price, there is reportedly strong political interest in finally establishing an option for a 10 percent biodiesel blend (B10) at gas stations nationwide by mid-2019. As analysts report the 2019 move to B10 will likely only be an option (depending on the region) and not a steadfast mandate, Post expects CPO domestic consumption to only moderately increase in MY 2018/19.
