2021 crude palm exports expected to surpass 2020 record

With Malaysia capping 6.5 million hectares of land for palm oil plantations, estates must shift focus to optimising crop yields. This means reducing wastage, using optimal planting techniques and having an efficient workforce. 

To accomplish this, digital agriculture is an important measure. One such solution is the Quarto plantation management system by LintraMax. Over 1 million  hectares of oil palm plantations in Malaysia and abroad use Quarto to streamline their operations.  

Quarto is a one-stop plantation management solution for field supervisors to top management.  Companies using Quarto enjoy better worker, operations and data management, automated reports generation, streamlined planting and harvesting processes, more transparent and secure practices in HR, requisition and finance, for example. 

Quarto’s streamlined management is a contributing reason for palm crude exports surpassing a record RM70 billion in 2020. This feat is even more impressive considering the increased operational challenges the covid-19 pandemic brings. 

In addition, poor weather conditions, and worker shortfall are affecting harvest outputs. As a result, Malaysia’s stockpiles are at its lowest since June 2007. Despite this, crude prices continue to soar. Malaysia is continuing to enjoy strong and even rising demand for palm crude, particularly from India and Kenya.

In his hopes for 2021, Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali said at the Palm Oil Trade Fair and Seminar (POTS) Digital 2021 that even as the global economy is expected to recover at a slower pace, demand in global oil and fats consumption is unlikely to be affected.