Latest news with #palm oil
The Sun
11-08-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Dangerous toxic blobs that look like ‘giant chunks of earwax' wash up on UK beaches as dog owners warned ‘stay AWAY'
VILE toxic blobs that look like 'giant chunks of earwax' have started washing up on UK shores. The disgusting debris can be dangerous to dogs and pet owners have been warned to stay away. 4 4 4 The blobs were spotted on Anglesey's beaches throughout the week, with some people describing them as looking like giant fossilised eggs. The chunks gave off a strange smell prompting residents to report the slime to the Coastguard. Deposits have been found at beaches all over the area including Porth Diana beach in Trearddur Bay and Porth Tywyn Mawr (Sandy Beach). After analysing the sludge, it was discovered that they were congealed pieces of palm oil. Since palm oil rocks have a sickly sweet smell, dogs are often attracted to them. The edible vegetable oil is often used in cosmetics and processed foods and, although it isn't poisonous to dogs, it can have serious consequences if consumed. Dogs who eat the blobs could become seriously ill, with mild cases resulting in diarrhoea and extreme cases causing pancreatitis. In very severe cases, intravenous fluid treatment will need to be administered to dogs if consuming the blob causes gut blockages. Even worse, the blobs can absorb diesel, chemicals, sewage and harmful bacteria before arriving on the shores. The debris discovered at Porth Tywyn Mawr has been described as being 'soft and smelling of diesel' meaning dog owners should stay away. Tragedy as two women die hours apart after being pulled from the sea at nearby popular UK beaches Often, the chunks can appear in smaller forms - looking similar to orange or white pebbles with a waxy texture. HM Coastguard has said they look like 'giant chunks of earwax'. Less than half of dogs who eat palm oil fall ill but taking the risk isn't worth it, given how dangerously ill it can make your pooch. The news comes as a town in North Wales dubbed 'Costa Del Dole' gets a £200 million refurbishment. Rhyl in North Wales was dubbed one of the worst seaside towns in the UK, after experiencing 'rapid decline' and vanishing tourism. Some have even described it as 'Blackpool after a neutron bomb', with locals saying they aren't surprised that the town was ranked so low on the Telegraph's worst seaside town list. However, Denbighshire County Council has said that a £200 million cash injection will give the town a much needed boost. Over £100 million has already been spent on upgrading sea defences to protect against coastal flooding, with a new children's play park also being constructed to replace the outdated Drift Park site. 4
Bloomberg
11-08-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Indonesia Signals Later Start to Higher Biodiesel Blending Plan
Indonesia signaled it would be boosting its mandatory biodiesel blending program sometime later in 2026, an energy official said, a move likely to ease immediate concerns over how tight palm oil supplies have been in the world's top grower in recent years. Preparations remain on track to increase fuel blending from 40% to 50% after January, said Director General for New and Renewable Energy, Eniya Listiani Dewi. She added that safety tests that take six to eight months to carry out, had not yet been scheduled.
Reuters
05-08-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Malaysia seeks $330 million for palm oil replanting over next 5 years
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Malaysia's commodities ministry said on Tuesday it would seek to boost the allocation for palm oil replanting to 1.4 billion ringgit ($331 million) under a new five-year economic plan. The funds, from 2026 to 2030, will help increase the replanting rate, especially among smallholders, Plantation and Commodities Minister Johari Abdul Ghani told parliament. This year the government is providing a matching grant with an allocation of 100 million ringgit ($24 million) for smallholders. Replanting averaged about 2% last year, falling short of the government's target of 4%, Johari said. "When replanting is not being taken care of, it will affect our future exports," he said, with production also being hit. ($1=4.2250 ringgit)
CNA
05-08-2025
- Business
- CNA
Malaysia seeks $330 million for palm oil replanting over next 5 years
KUALA LUMPUR :Malaysia's commodities ministry said on Tuesday it would seek to boost the allocation for palm oil replanting to 1.4 billion ringgit ($331 million) under a new five-year economic plan. The funds, from 2026 to 2030, will help increase the replanting rate, especially among smallholders, Plantation and Commodities Minister Johari Abdul Ghani told parliament. This year the government is providing a matching grant with an allocation of 100 million ringgit ($24 million) for smallholders. Replanting averaged about 2 per cent last year, falling short of the government's target of 4 per cent, Johari said. "When replanting is not being taken care of, it will affect our future exports," he said, with production also being hit.
Zawya
30-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
How Nigeria's new palm oil traceability system could reclaim global dominance?
A slow but steady revolution is ongoing that could turn Nigeria's decades-old palm oil story from decline to dominance. Palm oil that once placed Nigeria on the global map in the 1960s is getting a gaining attentiononce more. A new traceability framework, known as the National Palm Oil Traceability System (NaPOTS), is being developed to transform how palm oil is produced, tracked, marketed, and exported. With production currently at 1.4 million metric tons annually, and a national demand that exceeds 2 million metric tons, Nigeria now spends more than $600 million every year importing palm oil. The gap between what Nigeria grows and what it consumes has become a major concern, not only economically, but also in terms of food security and sustainability. 'We're expecting two things, one of the key implementing partners behind the initiative. 'First, an effective traceability system. Second, a strong policy framework aligned with Nigeria's Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy from 2022 to 2027', said Kene Onukwube, Program Manager at Solidaridad Nigeria. For Onukwube and his team at Solidaridad, this isn't just about tracking palm oil, it's about restoring accountability across the value chain, from the seedling planted in Enugu to the oil-filled jerrycan in a Lagos market. For too long, Nigeria's domestic production has struggled with inefficiencies, hidden yields, untraceable processing, and questionable quality control. 'With traceability in place, efficiency will improve in production, processing, and marketing. You'll be able to know who produced what, where, and under what conditions. That visibility is transformational', Onukwube explained. Backed by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom's Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, Solidaridad has already piloted traceability models in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, and Kogi states. These pilots showed that with the right tools and stakeholder engagement, traceability isn't just possible, it's practical. Recognising the need for national coordination, Solidaridad partnered with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to elevate NaPOTS from a state-level experiment to a national policy. The result was the inauguration of a new inter-agency committee by the ministry, tasked with refining and institutionalising NaPOTS nationwide. 'This event is not just a launch, it is a strategic milestone in Nigeria's journey to reclaim its rightful place as a palm oil powerhouse', said Senator Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security. In the 1960s, Nigeria produced over 40 per cent of the world's palm oil. Today, that figure has fallen to less than 2 percent. The global market has surged ahead with industrial-scale plantations, climate-smart agriculture, and export-driven policies, while Nigeria's smallholder farmers struggle with poor yields, outdated tools, and fragmented data systems. A major driver of this initiative is compliance, especially with the European Union's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which requires exporters to prove that their palm oil is not linked to deforestation. 'Traceability is the language of the now and the future. A product without a story of origin will be a product without a market', the Minister said. But beyond compliance, NaPOTS offers something deeper: a chance to rebuild confidence in Nigerian agriculture. NaPOTS aligns with the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy's vision for digital transformation. Through digital platforms, geospatial mapping, and farmer ID systems, the traceability platform will collect and verify data at every stage of the value chain. The system captures key data such as GPS coordinates of farms, producer identities, palm variety and tree age, harvest volumes and timings, processing and transportation details, environmental and ethical compliance and export destinations and transaction history. With this unified data architecture, policymakers can make informed decisions, investors gain visibility into supply chains, and consumers receive ethical assurance. Beyond data, NaPOTS holds enormous potential to spark green growth and climate-smart agriculture. By identifying yield gaps and enabling precision extension services, the system will support best management practices (BMPs) and promote eco-friendly inputs. Smallholder farmers who produce over 80 percent of Nigeria's palm oil, will finally gain access to tools and training to improve both their productivity and incomes. For global investors, a transparent Nigerian palm oil sector is a far more attractive prospect. 'We're seeing growing interest in sustainability-compliant commodities. NaPOTS opens new investment pipelines by offering transparent land-use and production records', Onukwube said. Moreover, the export landscape will shift. With NaPOTS in place, Nigerian palm oil will be better positioned to meet the requirements of high-value markets like the EU, UK, and Asia. This directly supports Nigeria's non-oil export ambitions and improves foreign exchange earnings. But achieving all this will require synchronized efforts. The newly inaugurated Inter-Agency Committee includes representatives from government ministries, NGOs, private sector processors, exporters, and research institutions. Each has a unique role, whether in data collection, regulation, capacity building, or market access. Research institutions like the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) will also benefit. With access to harmonised, real-time data, they can accelerate breeding programmes, climate adaptation research, and socio-economic impact studies. Like any major reform, NaPOTS faces challenges, data integrity, infrastructure gaps, low digital literacy among farmers, and stakeholder coordination. However, the policy document outlines a detailed roadmap supported by key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress. Some of these KPIs include number of farmers and processors registered on the NaPOTS platform, percentage of palm oil volumes traced end-to-end, reduction in palm oil imports, increase in sustainability-certified exports and investment volume in traceable palm oil projects. ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE: Nigeria loses about N17.9trn annually to hepatitis — FG The system also sets clear goals for environmental monitoring and land use optimisation to support Nigeria's broader forest and climate commitments under the Forest, Agriculture, and Commodity Trade (FACT) Dialogue. As Nigeria embarks on this new journey, the stakes are high, but so are the opportunities. If implemented effectively, NaPOTS could serve as a model for traceability in other agricultural sectors, from cocoa to cashew. It also positions Nigeria to lead the conversation on ethical agriculture in Africa. Copyright © 2022 Nigerian Tribune Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
