02 Jan 2019 --- As 2019 gets underway, the spotlight is back on the palm oil industry as Malaysian government officials condemn the recent French National Assembly’s vote to exclude palm oil biofuels as “unwarranted and unjust.” The decision threatens the livelihoods of more than 650,000 Malaysian small farmers who rely on palm oil, according to the country’s government – and the move by France could spark trade retaliation – as Malaysia strongly protests and plans to “muster support from other key palm oil producers.”

KUALA LUMPUR: The following factors are likely to influence Malaysian palm oil futures and other vegetable oil markets on Wednesday Jan 2.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian benchmark crude palm oil futures opened nearly 1 percent higher on Wednesday, a bullish start to the first day of trading in 2019 after India announced import tax cuts on palm oil from Southeast Asian countries.

MUMBAI: India has cut import taxes on crude and refined palm oil from Southeast Asian (ASEAN) countries after a request from suppliers, a government notification said.

PETALING JAYA: India has unexpectedly cut import duties on crude palm oil (CPO) from some countries, including Malaysia and Indonesia, to 40% from 44% prior to this.

MELAKA: Malaysians have been urged to consume palm oil in many forms in their daily lives as a patriotic move to help shore up the commodity’s flagging price, says Deputy Primary Industries Minister Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin.

The government's decision to reduce the duty difference between CPO (crude palm oil) and palmolien has the potential of sounding the death knell of the palm refining industry, a release issued by the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) on Tuesday said.

Crude palm oil (CPO) prices, which hit a record low of RM1,773 per tonne last year, are expected to post a rebound in 2019 as unusually dry condition and reduced inventories could help Malaysia’s key commodity.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil producer FGV Holdings Berhad has appointed Mohd Hairul Abdul Hamid as its chief financial officer, it said in a bourse filing on Wednesday, following a management shake-up that saw the departure of key executives last year.

The following factors are likely to influence Malaysian palm oil futures and other vegetable oil markets on Monday Dec 31