14 Percent Decline in Malaysian Palm Oil Exports

11-May-2026 12:00 PM

Petaling Jaya. Due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East region, reduced buying by India, and elevated prices, palm oil exports from Malaysia witnessed a decline of over 14 percent during the month of April. As palm oil prices rose, the price spread—or differential—relative to soybean oil and sunflower oil narrowed. Consequently, demand for palm oil in importing countries softened somewhat.

According to the latest monthly statistics from the government body—the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB)—crude palm oil (CPO) production in Malaysia surged by a robust 18.37 percent in April 2026 compared to March, reaching 1,629,801 tonnes; however, exports contracted by 14.34 percent, settling at 1,302,979 tonnes. Compared to March, Malaysia's imports of palm oil from abroad also rose by 13.54 percent in April, reaching 75,846 tonnes.

Thus, driven by the increase in production and imports, the decline in exports, and domestic consumption remaining relatively stable, the residual surplus stock of palm oil naturally increased. According to the MPOB report, the residual surplus stock of palm oil products in Malaysia rose to 2,309,474 tonnes at the end of April—an increase of 1.71 percent over the stock available at the end of March.

Within this total, crude palm oil stocks rose by 0.54 percent to reach 1,264,175 tonnes, while stocks of refined palm oil/palmolein increased by 3.16 percent to reach 1,045,299 tonnes. However, during this same period, stocks of palm kernel oil in Malaysia declined by 1.39 percent, falling to 335,704 tonnes. Palm oil exports continue to decline in May as well.