Malaysia CPO ends higher as export duty suspended

Futures contracts of crude palm oil ended higher on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives after the Malaysian government suspended export duty on the tropical oil for a three-month period. The most active March contract of crude palm oil on the Malaysian bourse hit a one-month high of 2,615 ringgits (41,442.66 rupees) per tn earlier, before settling 0.2% higher at 2,590 ringgits. The decision to suspend export duty was taken to reduce Malaysia’s palm oil stocks and to strengthen prices. The country’s palm oil stocks were at a near two-year high of 2.56 mln tn at the end of November. The suspension will be lifted before the three-month period if the southeast Asian country’s stock level declines to 1.6 mln tn.

Bihar farmers told to control mustard plant disease.

IMD’s Agrimet has asked farmers in Bihar to control white rust disease in mustard crop. Humid weather conditions are ideal for the spread of white rust in mustard crop. The rust causes swelling and distortion of the stem and floral parts, which eventually hits the yield.

MCX CPO futures down on Bursa Malaysia cues.

Futures contracts of crude palm oil on the MCX were down, tracking benchmark contracts on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives. The most-active January contract on the domestic bourse was at 562.7 rupees per 10 kg, down 0.3% from the previous close. Prices on the Malaysian bourse fell today due to a strong ringgit against the US dollar and expectations of a month-on-month rise in Malaysia’s palm oil stocks in December. Investors now await Malaysian Palm Oil Board’s data on palm oil output, exports, and inventory for December.