Kuala Lumpur, March 17 - Sime Darby, the world's largest listed palm-oil company, is looking to develop plantations in Africa and plans to build new palm-oil processing plants in eastern Europe to exploit booming edible-oil demand.
Chief Executive Ahmad Zubir Murshid said on Monday the company had offers to develop 200,000 acres (81,000 hectares) of rubber and palm plantation in Liberia.
"In Liberia, the concession that was offered to us was about 200,000 acres for rubber but we are looking at potential for rubber plus palm oil," he told Reuters in an interview.
Sime Darby, Malaysia's biggest listed firm, has short-listed three countries in eastern Europe to build downstream palm-oil units which could include refineries and margarine plants. Palm oil is used cooking oil and in products ranging from cosmetics to cookies and biofuels.