MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
“Our oil palm industry’s competitiveness rests on three fundamentals,” says Noraini
KUALA LUMPUR, 13 January 2026 – The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) emphasised that the direction of the national palm oil industry must remain dynamic, anchored on sustainability and traceability, and focused on expanding downstream product development to strengthen the industry’s position in the long term within an ever-changing global landscape.
This year’s Palm Oil Economic Review and Outlook Seminar (R&O 2026), themed Securing the Future of Palm Oil in a Changing Global Economy, convened over 400 industry experts and academics to discuss the 2025 market performance, prospects for 2026, as well as strategies and direction for Malaysia’s palm oil industry.
Officiating R&O 2026, Minister of Plantation and Commodities, Datuk Seri Dr. Noraini Ahmad said the competitiveness of Malaysia’s palm oil industry depends on three fundamentals namely higher productivity, stronger sustainability assurance, and faster adoption of innovation, while remaining dynamic in managing market expectations and operational realities.
“Malaysia sustains leadership, not only by supplying volume, but by delivering quality, credibility and long-term value,” she added.
Unlike previous years, R&O 2026 this year is held over two days to allow for more focused and targeted discussion topics tailored for industry players, researchers, and policymakers to obtain the latest updates from MPOB as well as market outlooks from invited expert analysts.
MPOB Chairman, Datuk Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha, said the direction and strategy of Malaysia’s oil palm industry requires a renewed approach, guided by a more holistic and anticipatory perspective that integrates market research, scientific research, regulatory awareness, and operational realities.
During the R&O 2026 opening ceremony, MPOB launched “Small Bites, Big Impact – The Red Palm Oil Biscuit Story”, a book highlighting findings from the Red Palm Oil (RPO) Supplementation Study conducted in collaboration between MPOB and Universiti Malaya (UM).
Available for free on MPOB’s Palmoilis website, the book explains the effectiveness of red palm oil-based biscuits in increasing levels of provitamin A, iron, blood profile and gut health, reducing inflammation and vision problems, and preventing parasitic infections among children.
The R&O 2026 Seminar also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the enhancement of the Oil Palm Estate Monitoring System between MPOB, represented by Director General Datuk Dr Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir, and Aerodyne Geospatial Sdn. Bhd., represented by the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aerodyne Group, Dato’ Kamarul A. Muhamed.
The agreement involves collaboration in developing an integrated digital system for real-time monitoring of palm estate operations, enabling continuous oversight of key activities such as harvesting, fertilisation, mechanisation, labour deployment, and overall operational performance.
The system is aimed at monitoring on-farm data to ensure efficient and waste-free resource and estate management, while supporting policymakers and industry players in making data-driven decisions.
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CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS UNIT
| pro@mpob.gov.my |
| www.mpob.gov.my |
MALAYSIAN PALM OIL BOARD (MPOB)
