Malaysian palm oil prices to range RM4,400-RM4,600 in March, as emerging markets offset key buyer decline — MPOC

Malaysian palm oil price is expected to range between RM4,400 and RM4,600 per tonne in March, with emerging markets, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, filling the gap in demand from key buyers, like India and China. The Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), in a statement on Monday, said that despite weaker demand from traditional markets, palm oil has remained the price leader in the first quarter of 2025, with exports shifting towards Sub-Saharan Africa — with its annual population growth of 30 million. “This trend is expected to continue throughout 2025, keeping Malaysian palm oil exports strong,” it said. For the first time in years, India’s palm oil imports dropped to 648,000 tonnes from January to February 2025, at a time when crude palm oil prices averaged RM4,700 per tonne. This was less than soybean oil imports, which totalled 727,000 tonnes. Meanwhile, China has been importing only its core palm oil demand, averaging 300,000 tonnes per month in 2024. MPOC expects crude palm ...