La Nina seen gradually weakening in 2009

The La Nina weather anomaly will persist into the spring of 2009 but should gradually weaken during that period, the U. S. Climate Prediction Center said on Feb. 5. In a monthly update, the CPC said “a majority of the model forecasts… indicate a gradual weakening of La Nina through February-April 2009, with an eventual

Malaysia may scrap palm oil windfall tax

Malaysia may scrap a windfall tax on palm oil if the price rises further, the country’s Commodities Minister Peter Chin was quoted as saying Jan. 19 by state news agency Bernama. The Malaysian government in June imposed a windfall tax on crude palm oil sales of above 2,000 ringgit (US$559.3) per tonne, following a surge


Biofuel output seen up on lower feedstock costs

Global biodiesel output is likely to climb 27 per cent to 14 million tonnes in the 2008-09 oil year as producers capitalize on weak raw material prices and absorb excess inventories, a leading industry analyst said Dec. 3. Alternative energy fuels would be the only source of additional demand growth for vegetable oils, as demand

Biofuel industry growing internationally

Despite the controversy over crop production for food versus fuel and the shock of the financial credit squeeze, the biofuel industry is recording steady growth in many countr ies, the Canadian Renewable Fuel Summit was told in early December. But it has a long way to go before it reaches the level of global petroleum


FAO urges world to rethink biofuel use

Growing demand for biofuels will boost prices of agricultural commodities in the next 10 years. The western world needs to rethink its rush to biofuels, which has done more harm pushing up food prices than it has good by reducing greenhouse gases, a United Nations report said Oct. 7. The UN Food and Agr icul