Palm | Kelapa Sawit

MALAYSIA is looking to the East to woo more strategic partnerships with Japanese confectionery and snacks companies to boost palm oil trade.

Currently, Japan buys about 500,000 tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia annually.

Its principal uses are in making margarine and shortening and for deep-frying instant noodles, tempura and snack foods.

"I would like to see more strategic partnerships to boost palm oil shipments to Japan," said Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, who will be leading a 30-member delegation to Tokyo for two days from today to participate in the Malaysia-Japan Palm Oil Trade Fair and Seminar (POTS).

This is the tenth edition of the POTS series organised by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council to generate greater global recognition of the nutritional benefits and eco-friendly features of palm oil.

Among topics to be discussed at the seminar are the versatility of palm oil. The palm fruit oil is suitable for tempura frying while the kernel oil can be made into biodegradable detergent.

Palm biodiesel is increasingly seen as a cleaner fuel because of its lower greenhouse gas emission compared to other variants.

The Japanese are big investors in Malaysia's skin and hair care, laundry detergent and specialty fats industries. Among the big names are Kao, Lion and Nisshin OilliO.

"We're heartened by Japan's oleochemical and specialty fats investments in Malaysia. We welcome more value-adding investments from Japan's snacks and confectionery business community," Dompok told Business Times in an interview in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend.