KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 – The export of palm-based oleochemicals from Malaysia to China has increased 1.4 times to 604,208 tonnes in 2023, worth over RM2.82 billion from 434,333 tonnes in 2014, said Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
The minister said China’s main surfactant industry players are exploring business opportunities to use palm-based oleochemicals to produce detergents, which is in line with the country’s efforts to move towards green industry.
Johari emphasised that Malaysia remains committed to ensuring sustainable palm oil production via the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification.
“Implementing MSPO (certification) for Malaysian palm oil is also in line with China’s green chemicals initiative, especially in the aspect of sustainably producing surfactant for the market in China,” he said in a statement Tuesday.
Eleven major surfactant producers in China visited Malaysia for a week to learn more about Malaysia’s sustainable palm industry and to explore trade opportunities between the two countries.
The Chinese delegation’s visit resulted from the Palm Oil Trade and Investment Initiative 2024 programme organised by the Malaysia Palm Oil Board in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP).
