Malaysian Palm Oil Exports Performance to MENA & Western Balkan Region
(January – February 2023)
A Review on MPO Performance
Middle East
| COUNTRY | Jan-Feb 2023 | Jan-Feb 2022 | Change (MT) | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turkiye | 160,424 | 159,789 | 635 | 0.40 |
| 2 | Iran | 90,941 | 18,886 | 72,055 | 381.54 |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia | 61,181 | 89,440 | (28,260) | (31.60) |
| 4 | Yemen | 23,248 | 693 | 22,555 | 3,256.19 |
| 5 | UAE | 17,626 | 35,322 | (17,696) | (50.10) |
| 6 | Oman | 14,053 | 14,397 | (344) | (2.39) |
| 7 | Jordan | 5,291 | 3,919 | 1,372 | 35.01 |
| 8 | Qatar | 4,919 | 7,371 | (2,452) | (33.27) |
| 9 | Syria | 4,749 | 16,639 | (11,890) | (71.46) |
| 10 | Kuwait | 4,359 | 3,930 | 430 | 10.94 |
| 11 | Iraq | 1,824 | 417 | 1,407 | 337.68 |
| 12 | Bahrain | 1,273 | 924 | 349 | 37.73 |
| 13 | Lebanon | 1,199 | 519 | 680 | 131.09 |
| 14 | Palestine | 111 | 0 | 111 | – |
| Total | 391,199 | 352,245 | 38,953 | 11.06 |
Source : MPOB
Malaysian palm oil by the Middle East region from January – February 2023 registered a volume of 391,199 MT which is 38,953 MT or 11% higher compared to the same period of 2022. Turkiye is the leading importer of Malaysian palm oil in this region with a volume of 160,424 MT, a slight increase of 0.4%. This increase is mainly because of demand from HORECA sector which is performing well supported by the increase of tourist arrivals and which is expected to more than double this year. In addition, Yurkiye is also a re-export hub for neighbouring countries such as Russia, Georgia, Iraq and Syria which contributed to an overall increase in palm oil import.
Imports of MPO by Saudi Arabia declined by 31.6% compared to the same period last year mainly due to high carryover stocks from 2022. In addition, competion from Indonesian suppliers who offer discounted price also affected palm oil from Malaysia. Some countries like Yemen, which traditionally imports palm oil from their neighbours opt to import directly from Malaysia taking advantage of the lower freight cost. Jordan and Lebanon registered an increase in MPO imports because MPO exporters used their ports for their shipments to Syria
Imports of Malaysian palm oil by Iran increased significantly from 18,886 MT to 90,941 MT or by 381.7% compared to the same period of 2022. This was due to higher demand for the festive Ramadan and Eid festivals. In addition, Iran is still also a re-exporting to neighbouring countries in the region.
Breakdown of Malaysian Palm Oil Export
| PRODUCT | Jan – Feb 2023 | Jan – Feb 2022 | Diff (MT) | Diff (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RBD PL | 207,087 | 196,074 | 11,014 | 5.62 |
| RBD PO | 51,099 | 43,004 | 8,095 | 18.82 |
| RBD PS | 36,977 | 47,559 | -10,582 | (22.25) |
| CPL | 19,989 | 36,001 | -16,012 | (44.48) |
| CO / DPL | 53,324 | 24,538 | 28,786 | 117.31 |
| CPO | 20,301 | 0 | 20,301 | – |
| Others | 22,721 | 5,069 | 17,652 | 348.20 |
| Total | 391,199 | 352,245 | 38,953 | 11.06 |
Source: MPOB
RBD palm olein is the most imported palm oil fraction in this region which accounted for 52.9% of the total palm oil products imported into the region. Most of the RBD palm olein in this region was imported from traditional markets such as Iran, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman accounting for 96.3% of the total RBD PL imported into the region. Out of this volume, 4,847 MT was RSPO-certified PL to Turkey.
Balkan
| COUNTRY | Jan – Feb 2023 | Jan – Feb 2022 | Diff (Vol) | Diff (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bosnia-Herceg | 24 | 24 | – | 0 |
| 2 | Macedonia | 0 | 47 | (47) | (100.00) |
| 3 | Montenegro | 24 | 24 | 0 | 1.80 |
| 4 | Serbia | 0 | 23 | (23) | (100.00) |
| Total | 48 | 118 | (70) | (59.04) |
Source: MPOB
The Balkan region which comprises Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia are not traditionally strong consumers of palm oil and imported a small volume of Malaysian palm oil. During the period from Jan – Feb 2023, the region imported 48 MT of Malaysian palm oil which was a drop of 70 MT or 59% compared to the corresponding period of last year. The region is mainly a sunflower-producing region and the higher sunflower seed output has impacted the imports of palm oil.
Breakdown of Malaysian Palm Oil Export
| PRODUCT | Jan – Feb 2023 | Jan – Feb 2022 | Diff (MT) | Diff (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO / DPL | 48 | 71 | (23) | (31.86) |
| RBD PL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| RBD PO | 0 | 47 | (47) | (100.00) |
| Total | 48 | 118 | (70) | (59.04) |
Source: MPOB
For this period, cooking oil is the only imported oil fractions by the region which accounted for 100% of the total palm oil imported during the review period.
For more info please contact Mr. Suhaili
Email : msuhaili@mpoc.org.my
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