MPOB Develops Efficient Trees For Sustainable Palm Oil Yield

MPOB is researching to create oil palm trees that can survive low rainfall, says director Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir.

MPOB tests trees in northern Malaysia. They hope to protect palm oil yield from El Nino weather patterns.

Ahmad Parveez said the R&D is long-term. Studies need more time, maybe 10-15 years. Lab saw some clone plants give good yield with less water.

Ahmad Parveez spoke at an event in Pullman Bangsar. He said that El Nino will affect Malaysia's palm oil production by 2-3% in Sabah and Sarawak. He told reporters this on May 25.

The hot weather won't affect palm oil production right away. It takes about 15-18 months to see the effects. He said this.

He said to get ready for the worst El Nino effect on palm oil production, which could go down by 20%. This happened in 2016, and it would mean three million tons less production. He advised everyone involved to prepare for this possibility.

Ahmad Parveez predicts Malaysia can make 19 million tonnes of palm oil in 2023. It's an increase from 2022's 18.45 million tonnes. This rise is due to more people working in Malaysia's oil palm plantations.

The guy said that the MPOB thinks Malaysia's crude palm oil price will go up. This is because of something called El Nino. The price should reach RM3,800 to RM4,000. In 2023, it'll be about RM4,200 per tonne.

Lam Jian Wyn made some edits.