The benchmark July 2016 contracts of crude palm oil (CPO) opened closer to RM2700 per ton on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Tuesday (Apr 19) morning to tracking crude oil and responding lower harvest of FFBs in Indonesia and Malaysia last month.

China’s National Bureau of Statistics revealed China’s coal production of 293.8 million tons last month, down 4.5% from March 2015. That means in the first quarter of 2016, China’s coal output dropped by 5.3% from the corresponding period of 2015. Vietnam’s coal import last month, meanwhile, reached 1.21 million tons, skyrocketing from 395,000 tons in March 2015. These are two promising news for coal market.

Sawit Sumbermas (SSMS) is currently the most ‘valuable’ plantation company listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), valued almost six times equity. The Company reported net profit of Rp561 billion last year, down 22.4% from 2014 due to falling prices of palm oil.

Lack of details, President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo’s statement about moratorium of licenses for coal and palm oil leads to various interpretations. One thing might be clear, that no new mining business license (IUP) for coal shall be issued. But, because the President also talked about moratorium of the use of forest area for mining, implications could be significant.

Borneo Lumung Energi & Metal (BORN), a coking coal company controlled by Samin Tan, is required to pay the consideration shortfall plus related penalty of a combined US$14.2 million by April 20, 2016 pursuant to SIAC tribunal award won by TransAsia Minerals Limited and Bondline Limited.