BFM: 'Sawit Anugerah Tuhan': Do Palm Oil Campaigns Work

Last week, BFM invited our principal, Khor Yu Leng, to give her opinions on palm oil campaigns and their effectiveness in increasing demand for the ever-popular vegetable oil. Click on the following link to listen to the podcast: 'Sawit Anugerah Tuhan': Do Palm Oil Campaigns Work?

Campaigns with an underlying message of reform seem to have better traction, i.e. engagement factor is higher, compared to those without, which tend to be more emotive but less clear on what it represents.

The government has unveiled the new "Sawit Anugerah Tuhan" campaign to replace “Love My Palm Oil”. But are these campaigns actually effective in promoting demand for the oil? We speak to Independent Political Economist, Khor Yu Leng for her thoughts.

Produced by: Kelvin Yee

Presented by: Kelvin Yee, Hezril Asyraaf

Thanks to a listener (a palm oil industry executive) who wrote in with his feedback: “Liked your comments, always well articulated, interesting that "sustainable palm oil" enjoys higher engagement rates than "love my palm oil" campaign. My teenage kids wouldn’t buy into the love message. They are too aware of human impact on the planet. Sustainable palm oil is the better message. I agree with you on the (importance of the) promise or the journey.”

BFM: Demand is the Real Issue

Last week, our principal, Khor Yu Leng, was invited to speak on BFM on whether demand is the real problem in the palm oil sector amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, and if the restrictions on foreign workers will adversely impact the supply chain. Click on the following link to listen to the podcast: Demand is the Real Issue.

“The palm oil sector supply chain, what can be considered an essential service during the many phases of the movement control order was largely not impacted by Covid-19. We ask Khor Yu Leng whether demand is the real issue here and if the restriction on foreign labour will be a problem for Malaysia’s most important agricultural export.

Produced by: Dayana Mustak

Presented by: Wong Shou Ning, Khoo Hsu Chuang.”

Economic Recoveries after the Coronavirus

Another bit on the coronavirus, this time focusing on economic recovery predictions after the coronavirus pandemic. A swoosh recovery scenario is added into the growing realms of possibilities, with some experts agreeing that no matter how it recovers, there is nowhere for the economy to go but up; but changes are substantial. Here are some recent notable headlines:

Economist: Has covid-19 killed globalisation? The flow of people, trade and capital will be slowed

WSJ: In April, U.S. unemployment surged to 14.7%. Among women, the rate rose to 16.2%, compared with 13.5% for men. Economic shock hits lower-income households harder. Almost 40% of households earning less than $40,000 annually experienced at least one job loss in March, compared with 19% of households earning between $40,000 and $100,000, the Fed said.... U.S. retail spending fell a record 16.4% in April from a month earlier as consumers stayed home and demand plunged…. Germany fell into recession in the first quarter, with its gross domestic product shrinking by 8.6% on an annualized basis, but is nonetheless expected to fare better than its neighbors over the balance of 2020. The eurozone economy as a whole contracted by 14.2%, while the U.S. economy shrank by 4.8%.

#CovidEconomics #Covid19 #Economics #EconomicRecovery #Demand #BehaviouralChange