Malaysia's palm oil production is predicted to decrease for the fourth month in a row in December due to heavy rainfall, with a potential reduction of 5% to 8% in crude palm oil (CPO) production and possibly as much as 10% to 20% if the flooding persists. This is due to damage to plantation infrastructure and difficulty in harvesting and transporting fresh fruit bundles from estates to mills. The Malaysian Palm Oil Board is closely monitoring the situation as the Malaysian Meteorological Department forecasts a second wave of floods. This could result in lower inventories and further drive up benchmark futures, which are already nearing their highest levels in about 2.5 years.