The team ranking remains unchanged after the third playoff last Thursday, June 25, 2009, as follows: United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB), Chemrez Technologies, Inter-Asia Marine Transport, CIIF Oil Mills, Transeaboard-Raco, Dumaguete Coconut Mills (Ducom), Sakamoto Orient Chemicals, Intertek Testing Services Phils., UCAP Secretariat, Mixed Nuts (EU Sons Trading, Iligan Bay Milling and Trading, Mitsubishi Living Essentials, Pacific Royal Basic Foods).

       Sun Care Fuels Corp. of Japan plans to put up a sunflower plantation in the Philippines to produce seeds, oil and biofuel, according to a draft agreement with National Development Co. The company has selected a 500-hectare site in the provinces of Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon, where a pilot farm will plant a specific variety of sunflowers for the production of biodiesel, sunflower oil and certified seeds. The company plans to lease up to 50,000 hectares to raise sunflowers and has already begun test operations on a three-hectare plot within a university in Mindanao.

       A Reuters report from Tokyo says Pacific Bio-Fields Holdings Plc has received approval to use 400,000 hectares of land in the Philippines to plant coconut trees to produce alternative auto fuel which it aims to sell to Japanese users in five years. The company, which plans to list on the London Stock Exchange?s Alternative Investment Market later this year, said the agreement allows it exclusively to cultivate unused public land on Luzon for free for up to 50 years.

       Figures from Oil World show China imported 56,000 MT of lauric oils in April this year. This is 6.1% higher than April last year total at 52,800 MT. Palm kernel oil comprised the bulk of import amounting to 47,600 MT (85.0% share) while coconut oil was 8,400 MT (15.0%). Purchases of coconut oil during the month increased by 37.7% from last year at 6,100 MT, while that of palm kernel oil rose by 1.9% from 46,700 MT.

       The month?s biggest supplier was Indonesia responsible for 85.4% of total with 47,800 MT (47,300 MT year-ago) of which 40,500 MT was palm kernel oil (42,100 MT) and 7,300 MT was coconut oil (5,200 MT). Shipment from Malaysia was 7,100 MT (4,600 MT) of palm kernel oil and contributed 12.7%. The Philippines supplied 800 MT (800 MT) of coconut oil, while import from other countries totaled 200 MT (100 MT) of coconut oil only.

       The China National Grain and Oils Information Centre said in a report that the country?s imports of soybean for the year October 2009/September 2010 were likely to fall 7.5% to 37 million MT from the 40 million MT projected for the current year 2008/09 citing record imports in the current year and state stockpiling in the last two years. The estimate, however, still reflects a substantial 32.1% increase from 28 million MT imported in 2006/07 to meet demand for animal feed and edible oils. The Centre said that China?s purchases for state reserves will eventually come to an end and the government may release some of its domestic soya reserves to the market, which is likely to reduce demand for imported soybeans.

       USDA projected that consumption of vegetable oil in Kenya is to increase to nearly 800,000 MT in 2010 from 700,000 MT in 2009. Supply will come largely from imports rather than domestic production. Its main oilseed crop is coconut, although it also produces groundnuts, sunflower, soybean and palm oil. The country is expected to increase oilseed harvest to just over 100,000 MT in the current year.

       Increased ozone levels can cause a 30% reduction in yield and an increase in the concentration of a group of toxic compounds within rapeseed plants, according to a new study conducted by scientists at the University of Antwerp. The research, presented by Maarten De Bock at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Meeting in Glasgow early this week, showed changes in the concentration of glucosinolates, a family of compounds involved in plant defenses against herbivores, in rapeseed plants. Such changes could influence crop resistance to insect pests, or the palatability of food crops.

       The Chinese Government is to offer subsidies to 136 crushers to process and purchase rapeseed from farmers as the country expects a record harvest of at least 13 million tons. It may also provide direct support to crush soybeans as the government looks into ways to persuade farmers to plant more soybeans and buyers to rely less on imports.

       The soy industry has come under fire for causing widespread deforestation, displacing indigenous peoples and destroying natural habitats, particularly in South America. The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS), a group of producers, industry and trade representatives, and environmental organizations, aims to address these issues by establishing guidelines for good industry practice, promoting and monitoring sustainable soy production. The RTRS Campinas Declaration on Conservation and Compensation was agreed at the organization?s fourth international conference in Brazil early this month, starting from the premise that there is a need to expand food supply as a result of global demand, but it must be done in an environmental sustainable way.

       The European Commission this week adopted a template for national renewable energy action plans, requiring member states to show how they intend to attain respective national targets for the share of renewables in their energy mix. The action plan is contained in the new Renewables Directive, which became in effect last month, that sets a binding target to source 20% of EU?s energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020.