DJ Malaysia March Palm Oil Exports 1.35 Mln Tons, +7.7% On Month -SGS

KUALA LUMPUR (Dow Jones)--Malaysia's March palm oil rose 7.7% compared with February to 1.35 million metric tons, cargo surveyor SGS (Malaysia) Bhd. said Wednesday.

The figure is within market expectations of a rise in shipments to around 1.35 million tons.

SGS estimated exports at 1.25 million tons in February. An estimate by another surveyor, Intertek Agri Services, put March exports at 1.35 million tons.

The following are the major items in the SGS estimate:
(All figures in metric tons)

                                   March           February
RBD Palm Olein         606,547        507,243
RBD Palm Oil            141,553         115,062
RBD Palm Stearin      122,920         158,770
Crude Palm Oil          219,591         271,628
Total*                        1,345,124     1,249,390

Major importers of Malaysian palm oil:

European Union          157,793        236,684
China                          371,711        340,315
U.S.                            110,072        84,029
India                           135,496        105,025
Pakistan                     142,401         126,570

*Palm oil product volumes don't add up to total as some products aren't included. SGS Malaysia is a division of the Switzerland-based Societe Generale de Surveillance Group.

-By Shie-Lynn Lim, Dow Jones Newswires; +603 2026 1233; shie-lynn.lim@dowjones.com