Fats and Oils Inventories Rise 5.8%

WASHINGTON - Mar 6/02 - STAT -- Inventories of all types of fats and oils in manufacturing facilities at the end of January posted a solid 5.8% gain over December, according to data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Solid gains in the quantity of soybean oil held in inventory at the end of the January to over 3,045 million pounds were the main reason behind the jump in stocks of all types of product. January ended with 4,569.6 million pounds of fats and oils on hand, compared to 4,317. 4 million at the end of January.

Other products showing major gains included tall, rapeseed, corn, and cottonseed oil. Inedible tallow, greases and lard stocks also managed strong gains in inventory levels versus inventory on hand at the end of December.

Products showing a decline in stocks included palm, safflower, sunflower, castor and coconut oil. Sunflower registered the biggest decline, with stocks dropping from 123.4 million pounds to 102.6 million.

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