Malaysian palm oil futures rose around 1% to near MYR 4,600 per tonne on Friday, extending gains for a third straight session amid a weaker ringgit and strength in edible oils on the Dalian market. Sentiment was further supported by robust export demand, with cargo surveyors estimating that March 1–10 shipments surged by 37.9% to 45.3% from February, driven by stronger buying during Ramadan and ahead of Eid. In India, the world’s largest buyer, palm oil imports climbed 11% to a six-month high in February as a wider discount to competing oils encouraged refiners to boost purchases while cutting sunflower oil imports. Supply data also lent support, with February inventories falling 3.9% to a four-month low of 2.70 million tonnes while crude palm oil output plunged 18.6% to 1.28 million tonnes. The market is now on track for a second straight weekly gain of around 5%, with additional support from Indonesia accelerating road tests for its B50 biodiesel blend, expected around mid-year.
