(ICIS) -- Malaysia's oleochemicals prices may continue to fall as March stockpiles of feedstock crude palm oil may have reached 1.60m-1.65m tonnes - the highest monthly volume recorded so far this year, industry sources said on Friday.
Prices of most oleochemicals in Malaysia, such as fatty acids, fatty alcohols, glycerine and soap noodles, could decrease by USD 10-20/tonne (EUR 7-14/tonne) from current levels if Malaysia's March crude palm oil (CPO) production data shows a further increase in supply, they said. The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) is due to announce last month's palm production data next week.
Industry players estimate that end-March CPO stockpiles would total 1.60-1.65 million tonnes, which would be the highest for this year. According to the MPOB, February's crude palm oil output reached 1.09 million tonnes, with end-February stockpiles reaching 1.48 million stocks. January's production was 1.05 million tonnes, with end-January stockpiles totalling 1.41 million.