MP Evans Group PLC (AIM:MPE), which produces certified sustainable palm oil in Indonesia, reported a rise in harvested crop volumes and higher prices for its main products in the first half of 2025, despite a fall in crude palm oil production.
The company said it harvested 619,100 tonnes of fresh fruit bunches, the oil palm crop used to make palm oil, from its own estates and those managed for smallholders in the six months to the end of June.
This marked a 9% increase on the same period last year, as crops rebounded from dry weather that affected yields in late 2024.
Of this total, 473,700 tonnes came from the group’s own estates, up 8%, while contributions from smallholders rose by 13% to 145,400 tonnes.
Alongside its own crop, the group bought 118,600 tonnes of fruit from independent suppliers, a sharp drop of 39% on last year’s figure.
The company said it has deliberately limited these outside purchases to better control the cost and quality of raw materials processed at its mills. In total, 737,700 tonnes of fruit were processed during the period, down 3% year on year.
Production of crude palm oil slipped by 2% to 172,800 tonnes, and palm kernels, a byproduct of palm oil extraction, fell 3% to 37,900 tonnes. These figures include crops processed for third parties.
Prices, however, were significantly higher. The group achieved US$868 per tonne of crude palm oil at the mill gate, 13% above last year’s US$771 per tonne.
The average price for palm kernels surged 71% to US$747 per tonne, compared with US$437 a year earlier.
MPE said strong extraction rates for both crude palm oil and palm kernels continued to underpin its performance, as the group managed input volumes and quality through a focus on its own crop and that of affiliated smallholders.