Malaysia is supplying oil palm seedlings to Pakistan for plantation on 40,000-hectare land in Sindh, local press reported on Tuesday. Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Peter Chin Fah Kui has said he is going to Karachi to meet the Sindh government officials to discuss the government-to-government initiative.
"So far, this plantation in Sindh is still at trial stage. About 5,000-hectare land have been planted with seeds provided by the Malaysian government," Chin was quoted as saying by New Straits Times. This initiative will help build better trade relations among Islamic nations, said Chin. Pakistan is Malaysia's third biggest buyer of palm oil products.
Currently, Pakistan buys about 950,000 tons of palm oil from Malaysia annually. The bulk of it is refined, bleached and deodorised (RBD) palm olein, according to the report.
Chin will be leading a 50-member delegation to Karachi from April 18 to 21 to participate in the Malaysia-Pakistan palm oil trade seminar (POTS) there. Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) figures show that in the first quarter of this year, China, the Netherlands and Pakistan are still the top three buyers of Malaysian palm oil products.