Malaysian palm oil output faces fresh risk of monsoon surge

Kuala Lumpur

A MONSOON surge that brought the worst floods in decades to Malaysia, hurting palm oil output in the second-largest grower, is forecast to move south this week, risking further inundations in Johor and Sarawak.

Heavy rains will probably start on Jan 7 or Jan 8 in the two states and could last two or three days, potentially causing floods, according to Ambun Dindang, an officer at the Malaysian Meteorological Department. Johor, at the southern end of Peninsula Malaysia, together with Sarawak in Borneo Island account for about one third of the country's total production.