The current surge in Covid-19 instances in Southeast Asia has throttled ports and locked down plantations and processors, sparking prolonged disruptions of uncooked supplies corresponding to palm oil, espresso and tin.
Restrictions in Malaysia, the world’s second-largest producer of palm oil, have prevented migrant laborers from touring to plantations, elevating costs of the ever present edible oil used to make sweet bars, shampoo and biofuel.
