KL imports 130,000 RI coconuts per day

JAKARTA (JP): Malaysia imports at least 130,000 coconuts a day from Indonesia to cope with the commodity shortage during the Moslem fasting month of Ramadhan, Malaysia's top minister has said.

Malaysia's Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumers, Megat Junid Megat Ayub, said rising local demand for coconuts during the widely observed fasting month, which ends on Jan. 18, had pushed coconut prices up.

The price of a coconut had soared to RM2.5 (64 U.S. cents) from the usual price of RM0.80 each.

The price rise prompted complaints from Malaysians of Malay and Indian origins, whose diet uses a lot of coconut milk.

Megat Junid said in the local daily Berita Harian that his ministry was encouraging traders to import coconuts from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Sabah and Serawak.

"I was told that about 30,000 coconuts from Indonesia were unloaded daily at each of four public seaports, totaling 120,000 to 130,000 coconuts a day from Indonesia," he was quoted by the daily as saying.

This did not include the around 10,000 coconuts imported daily from Indonesia by unregistered small traders, he said, adding that he was convinced the supply would be enough for the Idul Fitri holiday, which falls on Jan. 19 and 20, and the Chinese New Year on Feb. 16.

CPO floor price

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry and Trade announced on Friday it would maintain the floor price of crude palm oil (CPO) and its byproducts for exports for the next three months beginning Jan. 9.

The director general of international trade, Djoko Moeljono, said the floor price, normally revised every month, would be maintained because the international price of CPO was on a downward trend while the rupiah continued to strengthen against the U.S. dollar.

"Considering the current development, the floor price of CPO for the next three months will stay at the level maintained for the period of Nov. 27 to Jan. 18," Djoko was quoted by Antara as saying.

The floor price, determined monthly by the ministry based on overseas price fluctuations, is used in calculating export taxes of CPO and its byproducts.

The ministry set the floor price of CPO at US$535 per ton and that of oil palm and oil palm kernel at US$110 per ton for the Nov. 27 to Jan. 8 period.

It also set the floor price of refined bleached deodorized (RBD) palm oil at $545 per ton and crude palm olein at $555 for the same period.

The floor price of crude palm stearin was set at $345 per ton, RBD palm stearin at $385 per ton, crude palm kernel oil at $485 per ton, and RBD palm olein in branded containers of below 5 kilograms at $635 per ton.

The price of RBD palm kernel oil is set at $525 per ton, crude coconut oil at $490 per ton, and RBD coconut oil at $530 per ton. (das)