KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 13): The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) will launch an official national reference price for used cooking oil (UCO) in the first quarter of this year. Announced by Minister of Plantation and Commodities Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, the measure is designed to improve market transparency, promote fair trading, and protect smaller industry players from price manipulation. The benchmark, to be introduced by the MPOB, comes amid rising demand for UCO as a feedstock for biofuels and palm-based chemical products, she said on Tuesday. “This benchmark will provide clearer price signals, support fair trading practices and help protect industry players, especially small operators, from price manipulation and incorrect information,” she said in her opening speech at the Palm Oil Economic Review and Outlook Seminar 2026. She added that the MPOB will continue “to strengthen governance, [as well as] clear tracking and market oversight to ensure that UCO is managed in a safe and orderly manner”.

Source: The Edge Markets January 13, 2026 04:08 UTC