File photo of fresh palm fruits and palm oil. (Slpu9945/iStock/Getty Images)

USDA’s Indonesia desk predicts increased palm oil production

An El Nino event could weigh on that outlook

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of palm oil, is forecast to see a three per cent rise in production in 2023-24, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service post in Jakarta. The country’s USDA post anticipates 46 million tonnes of palm oil production, which would be up from 44.7 during […] Read more

File photo of farmland in Sierra Leone. (Belen B Massieu/iStock/Getty Images)

Sierra Leone passes new laws to boost landowners’ rights

Reading Time: 2 minutes Freetown | Reuters — Sierra Leone’s parliament on Monday passed two laws that lawyers say will help boost the rights of rural landowners and women against land grabs by big mining and agribusiness firms. The West African country has a history of sometimes deadly conflict between local communities and foreign companies that have cleared huge […] Read more


File photo of fresh palm fruits and palm oil. (Slpu9945/iStock/Getty Images)

Indonesia’s palm oil export ban seen short-lived on limited storage

Reading Time: 3 minutes Jakarta/Mumbai | Reuters — Indonesia’s ban on palm oil exports is unlikely to last more than a month as Jakarta has limited infrastructure to store the surplus oil and the country faces mounting pressure from buyers to resume shipments, industry officials said. The world’s top palm oil exporter announced plans to ban exports on Friday, […] Read more

File photo of fresh palm fruits and palm oil. (Slpu9945/iStock/Getty Images)

Indonesia bans palm oil exports as global food inflation spikes

Government under pressure to control cooking oil prices

Reading Time: 3 minutes Jakarta | Reuters — Indonesia, the world’s top palm oil producer, announced plans to ban exports of the most widely used vegetable oil on Friday, in a shock move that could further inflame surging global food inflation. The halting of shipments of the cooking oil and its raw material, widely used in products ranging from […] Read more


File photo of fresh palm fruits and palm oil. (Slpu9945/iStock/Getty Images)

Indonesia palm oil production to rise, USDA attache says

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — There’s to be a small increase in palm oil production in Indonesia in 2022-23, according the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s attaché in Jakarta. The attaché pegged palm oil output to rise by 1.1 per cent at 46 million tonnes due to favourable weather and higher prices for producers. Also, the attaché revised 2021-22 […] Read more

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Study finds no data to show change in butter consistency

Not enough data to link to palm supplement use, either

Reading Time: 4 minutes Updated, Jan. 24 — A panel tasked with reviewing complaints of changes in Canadian butter’s consistency has found there’s not enough data out there to support those complaints — nor to support the allegation that palm byproducts in cows’ rations were the cause. The Expert Working Group on Feed Supplementation, set up by Dairy Farmers […] Read more