Oil palm farmers in Surat Thani recently assured a senior Ministry of Commerce official that the price of palm oil for cooking will drop in January once fruit yields return to normal.

Witthayakorn Maneenetr, inspector general of the Ministry of Commerce, spoke to reporters while visiting a palm oil extraction plant in Surat Thani. He also visited a company that buys oil palm fruits and a nearby oil palm plantation.

Witthayakorn said he spoke with representatives of all three parties and learned that the price of cooking oil made from palm oil would increase due to declining palm fruit yields.