Malaysian Palm Oil Exports Performance to Sub-Saharan Africa Region
(January – February 2023)
A Review on MPO Export Performance
| COUNTRY | Jan – Feb 2022 (MT) | Jan – Feb 2021 (MT) | Diff (MT) | Diff (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egypt | 87,953 | 91,079 | (3,127) | -3.43% |
| 2 | Djibouti | 41,763 | 28,918 | 12,845 | 44.42% |
| 3 | Somalia | 11,476 | 16,597 | (5,121) | -30.85% |
| 4 | Morocco | 7,543 | 194 | 7,348 | 3780.08% |
| 5 | Algeria | 1,955 | 3,503 | (1,547) | -44.17% |
| 6 | Eritrea | 1,290 | – | 1,290 | |
| 7 | Ethiopia | 1,028 | 789 | 239 | 30.34% |
| 8 | Libya | 194 | 99 | 95 | 96.44% |
| 9 | Sudan | 903 | 6,472 | (5,569) | -86.05% |
| 10 | Tunisia | 40 | 40 | ||
| Total | 154,146 | 147,651 | 6,495 | 4.40% |
Malaysian palm oil export to North Africa from January to February 2023 recorded 4.4% increase which was contributed mainly by the higher imports recorded by Djibouti and Morocco. This was due to the attractive price of palm oil in December 2022 and January 2023 as both countries needed to stock up palm oil in preparation for the Ramadan and Eid festivals. Other markets such as Ethiopia and Libya also recorded import increase during the review period. Egypt, the leading importer of Malaysian palm oil in North Africa recorded a slight decline in imports of Malaysian palm oil which was due to financing issues due to a lack of US Dollars for trade exchange.
Egypt’s currency, which has already been devalued three times over the past year, is under renewed pressure caused by a continuing shortage of US dollars and rising inflation in the country. The country’s economy has been facing immense strain since the Russia-Ukraine war began 12 months ago, with the conflict compounding Egypt’s woes. Over the past year, the Egyptian pound lost nearly 50 per cent of its value against the US dollar.
Breakdown of Malaysian Palm Oil Export
RBD PL, RBD PO and Cooking Oil (CO/DPL) were three major fractions of palm oil imported by the region which accounted for 92% of the total Malaysian palm oil going into the North Africa market. Morocco was the sole importer of CPO during this review period with a volume of 7,500 MT.
Break down of MPO into North Africa Market
| PRODUCT | Jan – Feb 2022 (MT) | Jan – Feb 2021 (MT) | Diff (MT) | Diff (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPO | 7,500 | – | 7,500 | |
| CPL | – | |||
| RBD PO | 46,440 | 27,002 | 19,438 | 71.99% |
| RBDPL | 59,493 | 79,608 | (20,115) | -25.27% |
| RBD PS | 2,171 | 16,244 | (14,073) | -86.64% |
| Cooking Oil | 35,272 | 20,910 | 14,362 | 68.68% |
| RSP0 Certified Products | – | 2,330 | (2,330) | -100.00% |
| Others | 3,270 | 1,557 | 1,713 | 110.02% |
| Total | 154,146 | 147,651 | 6,495 | 4.40% |
Sub-Sahara Africa
Malaysian palm oil exports to Sub Sahara Africa markets during the first two months of 2023 was recorded at 413,837 MT, which was 25.31% or 83,585 MT higher than the corresponding period of 2021. Kenya, the leading importer of Malaysian palm oil in SSA imported almost 30% of the total MPO import volume and the volume is about the same as last year.
The increase in palm oil import is recorded in most market with the exception of Mozambique, South Africa, and Angola which recorded declines of between 20% – 48% decline. Kenya is still a major importer of palm oil as it is used not only domestically but also for re-exports to neighbouring landlocked countries.
Table 1: Top Importers of Malaysian Palm Oil from Sub-Saharan Africa (MT)
| COUNTRY | Jan – Feb 2022 (MT) | Jan – Feb 2021 (MT) | Diff (MT) | Diff (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenya | 115,094 | 115,402 | -309 | -0.27% |
| 2 | Tanzania | 49,609 | 32,062 | 17,547 | 54.73% |
| 3 | Nigeria | 42,527 | 10,386 | 32,140 | 309.45% |
| 4 | Togo | 38,867 | 28,709 | 10,158 | 35.38% |
| 5 | Mozambique | 25,572 | 37,247 | -11,676 | -31.35% |
| 6 | Benin | 23,590 | 21,705 | 1,885 | 8.68% |
| 7 | Senegal | 21,178 | 18,461 | 2,717 | 14.72% |
| 8 | Ghana | 14,867 | 1,596 | 13,272 | 831.73% |
| 9 | South Africa | 14,573 | 18,151 | -3,578 | -19.71% |
| 10 | Madagascar | 12,661 | 12,201 | 461 | 3.78% |
| 11 | Mauritania | 11,604 | 9,139 | 2,466 | 26.98% |
| 12 | Guinea | 9,831 | 394 | 9,437 | 2394.96% |
| 13 | Cote D’Ivoire | 7,976 | 1,754 | 6,223 | 354.82% |
| 14 | Angola | 6,872 | 13,126 | -6,254 | -47.65% |
| 15 | Gambia | 5,414 | 1,547 | 3,867 | 249.96% |
| 16 | Congo, Democratic Rep. Of The | 5,128 | 4,125 | 1,003 | 24.32% |
| 17 | Cameroon | 3,417 | 2,705 | 712 | 26.31% |
| 18 | Liberia | 2,048 | 24 | 2,024 | 8296.72% |
| 19 | Gabon | 1,430 | 0 | 1,430 | |
| 20 | Others | 1,580 | 1,521 | 59 | 0.04 |
| Total | 413,837 | 330,255 | 83,583 | 25.31% | |
| Source: MPOB | |||||
Tanzania, the second largest importer of Malaysian palm oil in the region imported 49,609 MT of MPO during the review period which was 54.75% higher compared to the same period of 2022. The abolishment of import duty on crude products has resulted in higher demand of CPO and CPL by the country. In the review period from Jan – Feb 2023, 35,520 MT of CPO and CPL imported and the volume is 72% of Tanzania total import of Malaysian palm oil. For comparison, no import of CPO and CPL were recorded in Jan – Feb 2022.
Crude palm oil (CPO, crude palm olein (CPL), cooking oil and RBD PL are the main MPO palm oil products that are imported into the region. These four, accounted for 85% of the total palm oil imported by the region.
Figure 2: Breakdown of MPO Exports (%) Jan – Feb2022
Both CPO and CPL imports went up by more than 60% during the first two months of 2023. Zero duty on crude palm oil and palm olein imports by Tanzania, contributed mostly to the increase. Cooking oil import also went up by 32%.
Table 2: Breakdown of MPO Exports Products to Sub-Saharan Africa (MT)
| PRODUCT | Jan – Feb 2022 | Jan – Feb 2021 | Diff (MT) | Diff (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO/ DPL | 93,648 | 71,035 | 22,613 | 31.83% |
| CPO | 117,471 | 72,840 | 44,631 | 61.27% |
| CPL | 142,161 | 86,539 | 55,622 | 64.27% |
| RBDPO | 1,076 | 7,507 | (6,431) | -85.67% |
| RBDPL | 32,034 | 45,054 | (13,020) | -28.90% |
| RBDPS | 8,803 | 23,600 | (14,797) | -62.70% |
| PFAD | 15,374 | 22,239 | (6,865) | -30.87% |
| OTHERS | 3,270 | 1,441 | 1,829 | 126.93% |
| TOTAL | 413,837.00 | 330,255.00 | 83,582.00 | 25.31% |
| Source: MPOB | ||||
For more info please contact Mrs. Fatimah
Email : fatimah@mpoc.org.my
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