Brighter market in Europe for Thai palm oil

[webfact]

Brighter market in Europe for Thai palm oil
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, April 18 – European rejection of palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia due to environmental reasons has boosted Thailand’s potential to export the agricultural commodity, according to the Commerce Ministry.

Surasak Riangkrul, director general of the Foreign Trade Department, said European countries have become increasingly keen to import palm oil from Thailand due to the kingdom’s ecologically-standardised agricultural system and the country’s participation in the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) organisation.

RSPO, established in 2004, aims to promote the growth and use of certified sustainable oil palm products. Demand in Europe for palm oil in industrial applications is high.

Mr Surasak said palm oil importing countries in Europe have become more aware of the environmental and sustainable production factors of palm oil, adding that six countries – Belgium, France, UK, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark – have announced a national commitment to import only sustainable palm oil by next year.

Germany recently issued a law which seeks to certify environmentally-friendly oil palm plantations – an imposition that has directly impacted Malaysia and Indonesia but will contribute to a higher market share for palm oil from Thailand, he said. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-04-18

[chainarong]

Well so long as everyone is happy at the palm oil farm , exports are exports , nice to se e they are dealing with genuine countries, that have got democracy.

[chrisrazz]

If this translates into farm gate prices that reflect those of 8 years ago, all well and good. The problem is the controlling interests within the processing industry. Inspection of these organisations and those involved may well have European importers thinking twice.

[draftvader]

This wonderful new market has a terrible habit of educating itself. Sustainability is one thing but health is another.

[Thai at Heart]

Is it Thais or Burmese who work the fields and the factories. If so, the duration of this business on the back of "ethical practice" could be a little short lived.

[Luk Mhee]

Well that the end of rice, thanks again to the powers at hand.

[winstonc]

they will try to with hold it and ruin another market..sad train of thought but experience doesnt lead me to any other conclusion..

[antimedia]

Of course these countries are going to believe Thailand has sustainable environmentally-friendly oil palm plantations without a thorough inspection of which they won't get access to. Just let Kittaratt ensure them that it is true and Bob's your uncle.

[Loles]

Crying will be the end.

[juggernaut]

In terms of sustainability Thailand does have the advantage over Malaysia and Indonesia, despite previous comments. Thailand already exports several hundred thousand tonnes of crude palm oil to Europe each year.

[rucus7]

Palm oil is one of the worst possible oils to cook with. The flip side is it is great if you want a stroke or early heart attack. It is favored because of its high smoke/burn temp and low price.

[belg]

so thai rice farmers should start to.... grow palm, right ?

[noodle]

Great, burn down more forest, grow more oil palms.

[JesseFrank]

So if the EU block palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia for environmental reasons, then why wouldn't they do the same with Thai palm oil ?

[stubuzz]

Palm oil is a very unhealthy oil. It is packed with saturated fat!

[Robby nz]

Palm oil is one of the worst possible oils to cook with. The flip side is it is great if you want a stroke or early heart attack. It is favored because of its high smoke/burn temp and low price.

Someone only read the headline.

Demand in Europe for palm oil in industrial applications is high.

[ratcatcher]

I was wondering why nobody has mentioned the southern man known as "The Whistle Blower" you know, he's big in palm oil I hear. Well I guess i just did.

[draftvader]

Palm oil is one of the worst possible oils to cook with. The flip side is it is great if you want a stroke or early heart attack. It is favored because of its high smoke/burn temp and low price.

Someone only read the headline.

Demand in Europe for palm oil in industrial applications is high.

Unfortunately food manufacturing is an industrial application :/

Sent from my HTC Desire using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[chotthee]

I was wondering why nobody has mentioned the southern man known as "The Whistle Blower" you know, he's big in palm oil I hear. Well I guess i just did.

This will make Suthep a very wealthy man.

[Mentors]

Southerner Suthep needs deeper pockets

[Thai at Heart]

I was wondering why nobody has mentioned the southern man known as "The Whistle Blower" you know, he's big in palm oil I hear. Well I guess i just did.

Ya don't say. Note also the canal thingamajig making a comeback too.

[surangw]

how many palms will get greased along the way to make this deal?

[Burl Ives]

Oh my Buddha, here we go again!

Nice to see sooooo many experts on Palm Oil. If you're a Brit and love Walkers or Smith's crisps the flavour comes from frying the potato slices in palm oil (an industrial application) Palm oil is fractionated into a liquid fraction palm olein which is used in this application (and is readily avaiiable in Thai supermarkets as the oil everyone uses for all local frying operations) and Palm stearin the hard fraction which is full of saturated fats.

Palm Olein is reasonably healthy as the stearin contains all the hard fats. Palm oil was prized by Cypriot fish and chip shops in the UK who loved the taste of Palm..the taste of "sweet violets"

Palm Stearin was used for soap making at one time, but is used with other exotic oil fractions to make cocoabutter substitute, used in UK chocolate, ask Mr Cadbury, this has long been banned on the continent where chocolate has to contain real cocoabutter!!

Sustainable Palm Oil has been the goal of Unilever (former owner of the Palm Line shipping line) and maker of all of the above products in one way or another, for many years, but the Malays and Indos prefer slash and burn rather than env friendly cultivation...hence the interest.

Now stop all this crap about something you either don't know or understand!

[LomSak27]

great pep talk but palm oil is trending down ... brighter market in Europe perhaps becasue Palm oil is getting hammered in North America.