KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian palm oil futures fell on Thursday, a day after hitting near 10-year highs on larger-than-expected increase in Indonesian inventories and concerns over a delay of its biodiesel programme.

The benchmark palm oil contract for March delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange closed down 60 ringgit, or 1.55%, to 3,817 ringgit ($945.97) a tonne.

Prices slid after an Indonesian Palm Oil Association report showed much higher supplies in Indonesia, said Marcello Cultrera, institutional sales manager and broker at Phillip Futures.

Indonesia’s palm oil stocks in 2020 are estimated at 7.33 million tonnes, up from 4.57 million tonnes a year earlier, Togar Sitanggang, vice chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) told a virtual conference.

Togar added government plans to roll out a B40 mandate that would require a 40% palm oil mix in domestic diesel could be delayed beyond the end of 2022.

Global palm oil production is expected to rise by 4.4 million tonnes in 2020/21, with Indonesian and Malaysian output forecast to rise by 3.4 million tonnes and 0.3 million tonnes, respectively, according to Thomas Mielke, CEO of Oil World.

Prices on the Chicago Board of Trade fell 1.4%. Dalian’s most-active soyaoil contract rose 1.3%, while its palm oil contract gained 2%.

The soyabean market has transitioned into “rationing mode” as tight global supplies and crop-stressing drought in Argentina have ignited the strongest soya market rally in years, Joe Stone, the head of Cargill Inc’s CARG.UL agricultural supply chain, said on Wednesday.

Palm oil is affected by price movements in related oils as they compete for a share in the global vegetable oils market.

Crude palm oil prices is seen at 3,700-3,800 ringgit per tonne in Jan-Feb, Dorab Mistry, director of Indian consumer goods company Godrej International, told a virtual conference.—Reuters