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Indonesia said on Monday that the value of its palm oil exports jumped by around 32% over nine months, driven by a sustained rise in prices. The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said the double-digit growth in palm oil shipments had helped Indonesia maintain a trade surplus for 65 consecutive months since May 2020. According to the agency, Indonesia exported crude palm oil (CPO) and its derivatives worth 18.14 billion dollars between January and September 2025. Total palm oil shipments recorded over the same period in 2024 were worth just 13.7 billion dollars. Budi Ismartini, a senior BPS official, told reporters: "This shows that our palm oil exports [from January to September 2025] jumped by 32.40%."
In volume terms, palm oil exports rose 11.62% to reach 17.58 million tonnes. Shipments in the January-September 2024 period stood at around 15.75 million tonnes. The data showed that crude palm oil and its derivatives accounted for 9.08% of Indonesia's non-oil and gas exports so far this year through September. However, smaller volumes of palm oil left Indonesian ports in September compared with the previous month. Budi said: "Palm oil exports came to just 1.38 million tonnes in September, down 45.94% from August."
The agency did not disclose the top destinations for Indonesian crude palm oil exports. However, the list of traditional buyers includes India, China and Pakistan. Commodities under the sub-category of animal fats and vegetable oils also helped drive Indonesia's exports to India between January and September, which reached 2.84 billion dollars. Crude palm oil falls under this sub-category, although BPS did not specify the share of palm oil within exports bound for India. Combined exports of animal fats and palm oil accounted for 20.29% of what Indonesia shipped to New Delhi. India was Indonesia's third-largest trading partner so far in 2025 by the end of the third quarter, ranking just behind China and the United States. Global palm oil prices have been on the rise. In September, the price stood at around 1,038.36 dollars per metric tonne, up 1.19% month-on-month. BPS data showed prices climbed 5.65% year-on-year.
Source: Bernama