Market Highlights
China’s Cooking Oil Consumption Likely to Increase in 2020
The Chinese National Bureau of Statistics reported that in January – February 2020, the country’s retail sales fell by 20.5% or 1.3 billion yuan to 5.2 billion yuan compared to the same period last year. However, in the same period, the category of food products has registered a growth of 9.7% and t...
The Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on the Trade and Consumption of Palm Oil in Italy.
The blow of the Coronavirus to Italy was fast and furious. The long-term effects on an already fragile economy are feared to be traumatic. The following is a first tentative assessment. The Italian COVID-19 Scenario The outbreak of the Coronavirus in Europe began in Italy. Around the middle of Febru...
Malaysian Palm Oil Supply and Demand Outlook for 2020
2020 is a challenging year for most of the industries in the world due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. This outbreak gives negative effects on the country’s economy from global supply and demand shocks and also domestic factors during the lockdown. Malaysian palm oil industry was also affected...
Can Sub-Saharan Africa Region Import More CPO?
Ever since the Malaysian government abolished tax-free crude palm oil export quota in 2013, Sub-Saharan Africa has become a substantial importer of Malaysian CPO. Before 2013, selected companies that owned refineries in Europe and Asia were given tax-free export quota with total volume ranging from ...
Japan Palm Oil Consumption Steady Despite Covid-19 Concerns
COVID-19 Impact in Japan Japan is one of the few countries where coronavirus spread immediately after it was discovered in China. The first case of COVID-19 in Japan was detected on 16 January 2020 and since then the total number of cases have exceeded 13,300 as of 26 April. The Japanese government ...
Staring into the Abyss: The Coronavirus and the European Market for Used Cooking Oil
The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting value chains worldwide. Used Cooking Oil, an essential ingredient in Europe’s biofuels-mix, is no exception. This article looks at the current situation. Background: Why is Used Cooking Oil Important to Europe? To understand Europe, you need to master the wo...
Ethiopia: Barriers faced as a result of the Pandemic
Total number of patients in Ethiopia reached 130 as of 30 April 2020. The Ethiopian government took serious measures to control the pandemic. It closed land borders, schools and suggested most employees to work from home. Regional states suspended transportation services and imposed a ban on the mov...
COVID-19, The Netherlands, and Palm Oil
A nation of traders by tradition, the Netherlands with its Port of Rotterdam – the largest seaport in Europe – and Schiphol Airport, a significant cargo center, serves as an import and distribution hub for the rest of Europe. The palm oil trade is no different. For years now, the Netherlands h...
Should Malaysia review its Biodiesel policy?
In order to answer this question, it should first be indicated that the implementation of the biodiesel program itself is directly related to the allocation of subsidies. The amount of subsidies, in turn, depends on the difference in price between vegetable oil and crude (mineral) oil. In general, t...
Malaysian B20 Biodiesel Affected by Low Crude Oil Prices
The United States crude oil benchmark price; West Texas Intermediate (WTI), turned negative for the first time in market history on 20 April 2020, dropping to negative $37.63. The negative WTI prices indicated that suppliers are offering to pay buyers to deal with the oil that are supposed to be del...
