KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, the world’s second-biggest palm oil producer, expects its B20 biofuel plan to be implemented nationwide by the end of 2022, according to Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali.

* Malaysia’s B20 programme in the transport sector, which entails a 20% mix of palm-biodiesel into petroleum, was initially scheduled to be completed by mid-2021 but later delayed to 2022 as the country prioritises economic recovery from the pandemic.

* The palm oil industry should also take proactive action to reduce food contaminants in refined palm oil, he said in remarks prepared for an online conference Tuesday.

* The industry should target to lower 3-monochloropropanediol esters, or 3-MCPDE, to below the EU-prescribed level of 2.5ppm.

* Mechanisation and automation in the upstream sector is important as there’s an over-dependence on foreign labor. Any disruption to the labour force will have a significant impact to Malaysia’s palm industry. - Bloomberg