Falling Palm Oil Yields Among Planters’ Concerns

The oil palm industry will need to urgently address the issue of falling palm oil yields, according to palm oil players. They have expressed concerns and are relieved that the issue has been recognised by the government. Also discussed at the annual Palm and Lauric Oils Price Outlook Conference and Exhibition 2025 (POC 2025, the players said the price gap between crude palm oil and other competing seed oils such as soy or canola oil, was at a historically wide gap. According to them, the gap would cause structural demand for palm oil to drop even as the industry faces fierce scrutiny from sustainability advocates. To encourage greater oil palm yields, the government had pledged to conduct spot checks on the palm oil supply chain to ensure seedlings being sold at nurseries were of high quality. Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said this would ensure the countrywide effort to increase palm oil yields would bear fruit eventually. “The government ...