KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's palm oil stocks likely hit a 10-month low by end-May, according to a Reuters survey, logging a third straight month of fall due to a dip in output and rise in exports.Stockpiles in Malaysia, the world's second-largest palm oil producer and exporter, is expected to fall 9.7% from April to 2.46 million tonnes in May, according to a median estimate of eight planters, traders and analysts polled by Reuters.That would be the lowest levels since July 2018. Declining end-stocks could provide support to benchmark palm oil prices, which have slightly declined since the start of the year and hit a five month low last month.It was last up 1.3% at 2,055 ringgit ($492.22) on Tuesday afternoon.Slowing output in Malaysia, the world's second-largest producer after Indonesia, could also lift palm oil prices.Survey contributors are expecting production in May to dip 2% to 1.61 million tonnes from the previous month.This would be a second month of declines for production and its lowest levels in three months. "Production was overall lower as May was the fasting month of Ramadan," said a East Malaysia-based trader, explaining that this slows down worker productivity in oil palm estates. "Production will probably remain unchanged for June." The median results from the Reuters survey put Malaysia's consumption in May at 248,535 tonnes.

Source: The Star June 04, 2019 05:48 UTC