Lang
Indonesia exported about $16.66 billion worth of crude palm oil and its processed products between January and August 2025. Southeast Asia's largest economy had sold approximately $12.32 billion worth of palm oil to its foreign trading partners during the same period last year.
"So, our palm oil exports grew by 35.23 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of 2025," said M. Habibullah, deputy for statistical production at the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), at a press conference on Wednesday.
The Central Statistics Agency attributed this growth to increases in the price of the commodity.
Indonesia sold palm oil at an average price of $1,041.32 per tonne during the same period, up 19.91 percent year-on-year. The average price stood at about $868.42 per tonne last year.
Export volume rose 13.56 percent year-on-year, from 14.26 million tonnes to 16.20 million tonnes. However, the agency did not disclose the top destinations for Indonesian palm oil exports. Nevertheless, data showed that vegetable oils accounted for a significant share of Indonesia's exports to India, a BRICS member state. Total animal or vegetable oils and fats shipped to New Delhi amounted to $2.73 billion between January and August, equivalent to 21.71 percent of Indonesia's non-oil and gas exports to India.
The 19 percent tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump on Indonesian goods came into effect on 7 August. The Indonesian government has consistently urged the Trump administration to grant tariff exemptions for its palm oil. "We exported around 2.6 million tonnes of crude palm oil and its derivatives [to the United States] in August alone," Habibullah said, without elaborating on the value of these exports.
Habibullah also provided the latest updates on Indonesia's trade with the European Union, with which Jakarta is set to conclude a free trade agreement by early 2027. The statistics agency reported that Indonesian palm oil products entering the EU market totalled $192.64 million in August. However, total exports to Europe over the eight-month period reached $1.27 billion, according to the Central Statistics Agency.
The rise in palm oil exports has also helped Indonesia sustain its trade surplus streak, which has now continued for 64 months since May 2020.
Source: Al Mal Forum