On 9 August 2015, Indonesia Investments released the latest edition of its newsletter. This free newsletter, which is sent to our subscribers once per week, contains the most important news stories from Indonesia that have been reported on our website in the last seven days. Most of the topics involve economic subjects such as an analysis of the recent performance of the rupiah, an analysis of Q2-2015 GDP growth, updates on inflation as well as manufacturing, and unemployment in Indonesia.

Lanjut baca ›

Indonesia’s production of crude palm oil (CPO) is expected to reach 40 million tons in 2020, in line with the government’s national program and downstream CPO roadmap. At the 3rd Indonesia International Palm Oil Processing Machinery & Technology Exhibition, Pranata, Director of Forest and Plantation Industries at the Indonesian Industry Ministry, said that, based on the roadmap, targeted CPO production growth should average 6.8 percent per year up to 2020, so the country will produce 40 million tons by that year.

Lanjut baca ›

On 2 August 2015, Indonesia Investments released the latest edition of its newsletter. This free newsletter, which is sent to our subscribers once per week, contains the most important news stories from Indonesia that have been reported on our website in the last seven days. Most of the topics involve economic subjects such a forecast for Indonesia’s economic growth in the Q2-2015, an update on the rupiah rate, foreign direct investment realization in Q2-2015, consumer confidence, new tax regulations in the palm oil sector, and more.

Lanjut baca ›

After introducing palm oil export levies earlier this month, the Indonesian Finance Ministry announced on Tuesday (28/07) that it has implemented another change in the country’s palm oil industry. From now on, export taxes for crude palm oil (CPO) and other palm oil products will be expressed in US dollar instead of a percentage of the price. Indonesia’s palm oil export tax kicks in when the government’s reference CPO price exceeds USD $750 per metric ton. If the price is below this level, palm oil exporters only need to pay the new export levies.

Lanjut baca ›

Pejabat Pemerintah Indonesia mengumumkan bahwa pungutan ekspor minyak sawit yang baru saja disosialisasikan akan mulai diterapkan pada hari Kamis (16/07). Peraturan baru ini mengharuskan bahwa pungutan sebesar 50 dollar Amerika Serikat (AS) per metrik ton diterapkan untuk ekspor minyak sawit mentah (crude palm oil/CPO) dan beacukai senilai 30 dollar AS per metrik ton ditetapkan untuk ekspor produk olahan minyak sawit. Pungutan ekspor minyak sawit ini hanya perlu dibayar oleh para eksportir saat harga referensi CPO dari Pemerintah jatuh di bawah 750 dollar AS per metrik ton, yang secara efektif memotong pajak ekspor minyak sawit menjadi 0%.

Lanjut baca ›

Ketidakjelasan terus berlanjut mengenai waktu implementasi cukai ekspor minyak sawit. Di Mei 2015 Presiden Indonesia Joko Widodo menandatangani peraturan baru yang memberlakukan cukai 50 dollar AS (per metrik ton) untuk ekspor minyak sawit mentah (crude palm oil/CPO), dan cukai 30 dollar AS (per metrik ton) untuk ekspor produk minyak sawit olahan. Hasil dari cukai ekspor ini akan digunakan untuk membiayai program (subsidi) biodiesel Pemerintah. Meskipun begitu, implementasi dari peraturan ini telah ditunda beberapa kali.

Lanjut baca ›

Semakin kuat dugaan bahwa fenomena cuaca El Nino akan berdampak pada Indonesia dalam beberapa bulan mendatang. Selama beberapa minggu terakhir ini muncul beberapa laporan mengenai cuaca kering yang ganjil dan memberikan dampak negatif pada panen dan komoditi agrikultur di sejumlah wilayah Asia Tenggara. Di Indonesia, cuaca kering pada umumnya terjadi dari bulan Mei sampai Agustus. Meskipun begitu, El Nino mungkin menyebabkan cuaca yang lebih hangat dan memperpanjang musim kering sampai September dan karenanya mempengaruhi produksi di puncak musim panen. Hal ini akan mengurangi hasil produksi agrikultur dan menyebabkan tekanan inflasi.

Lanjut baca ›

In the past couple of weeks unusually dry weather in several parts of Southeast Asia has led to expectation that harvests of agricultural commodities in the region will be disappointing. More and more weather forecasters are convinced that the El Nino weather phenomenon (i.e. periodical warm ocean water temperatures off the western coast of South America that can cause climatic changes across the Pacific Ocean) is to return this year causing droughts in the key agricultural-producing countries.

Lanjut baca ›

Pada 10 Mei 2015, Indonesia Investments menerbitkan edisi terbaru dari newsletter-nya. Newsletter gratis ini, yang dikirimkan kepada para pelanggan kami sekali setiap minggunya, mencakup berita-berita paling penting dari Indonesia yang telah dilaporkan di website kami dalam tujuh hari terakhir. Kebanyakan topik berkaitan dengan isu-isu ekonomi seperti update pertumbuhan ekonomi Indonesia pada kuartal 1 tahun 2015, inflasi April, aktivitas manufaktur domestik, bea cukai minyak sawit yang baru, penjualan mobil, angka pengangguran, industri telepon selular, dan banyak lagi.

Lanjut baca ›

Indonesia’s new palm oil export levy is to be implemented in late May 2015. Rida Mulyana, Director General of Renewable Energy at Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources, stated that President Joko Widodo signed the regulation last night (05/05). The new levy means that a USD $50 (per metric ton) levy is to be imposed on crude palm oil (CPO) exports, and a USD $30 (per metric ton) levy on processed palm oil product exports. Proceeds from these export levies will be used to fund the government’s biodiesel (subsidy) program.

Lanjut baca ›

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (often called Jokowi) emphasized that the government of Indonesia needs to boost development of renewable energy. Although Indonesia contains huge potential for renewable energy (particularly geothermal energy), the share of renewable energy in Indonesia’s total energy use currently stands at around 5 percent only, the remainder being fossil energy. By providing incentives, attractive tariffs and an easier licensing and registration process, the government can generate more investment in this sector.

Lanjut baca ›

Walaupun Pemerintah Indonesia telah mengumumkan bahwa subsidi bahan bakar nabati dinaikkan menjadi Rp. 4,000 per liter (dari Rp 1,500 per liter pada tahun 2014) dan bioethanol menjadi Rp 3,000 per liter (dari Rp 2,000 tahun lalu) - di dalam upaya untuk melindungi industri bahan bakar nabati domestik karena biaya produksi melampaui harga pasar di tengah harga minyak sawit global yang rendah -, produsen bahan bakar nabati Indonesia berharap agar harga bahan bakar nabati nasional ditetapkan berdasarkan harga patokan selain Mean of Platts Singapore (MoPS).

Lanjut baca ›

Malaysia, the world’s second-largest crude palm oil (CPO) producer and exporter, will continue its duty-free export tariff for CPO in January 2015 according to information from the Malaysian customs department. Starting from September 2014 Malaysian authorities have implemented a duty-free CPO export policy in an effort to boost global demand and support international CPO prices (which have fallen nearly 20 percent this year). Indonesia, which has seen duty-free CPO shipments since October 2014, is expected to follow suit.

Lanjut baca ›

Reserves of crude palm oil (CPO) in Indonesia may have declined for a second straight month in October on the back of drought and an increase in exports from Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The delayed impact of drought (which even managed to dry up several rivers in West Kalimantan in October) limited production of CPO in recent weeks. Meanwhile, exports have increased after Indonesia and Malaysia - the world’s two top palm oil producers - scrapped export taxes to boost demand for this commodity.

Lanjut baca ›

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology is increasingly convinced that the world needs to prepare for a new El Niño cycle. According to the institution, the impact of this new cycle will be felt starting from July 2014 and may continue through the winter. Also the European Center for Medium range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) and the US Climate Prediction Center stated that chances of a new El Niño cycle in 2014 are becoming higher, although it is too early to provide an indication of this year's strength of the weather phenomenon.

Lanjut baca ›

Indonesia has the potential to become a global force in the biodiesel industry because of the country’s position as the world’s top producer of crude palm oil (CPO). In 2014, Indonesia’s CPO production is estimated to total 30 million tons. Traditionally, Indonesia exports about 75 percent of its total CPO production, particularly to the giant economies of China and India. As such, this commodity is one of Indonesia's most important foreign exchange earners, apart from coal, in the non-oil and gas sector.

Lanjut baca ›

The Indonesian government is considering to stop exports of crude palm oil (CPO) to Europe from 2014 onwards as domestic CPO demand in Southeast Asia's largest economy is rising, brought on by the country's biofuel industry which is expected to grow 70 percent next year to 5 million tons. To curtail oil imports, the government stimulates the production of crude palm oil-based biofuel by raising the mandatory content of fatty acid methyl ester (which is made from palm oil) in biodiesel products from 7.5 percent to 10 percent.

Lanjut baca ›

Usage of biodiesel for transportation in Indonesia is expected to reach 7.2 million kiloliter by 2015, a sharp increase from 600,000 kiloliter in the first nine months of 2013. State-owned Pertamina is expected to supply the extra 6.6 million kiloliter of biodiesel. The reason why the Indonesian government is eager to develop palm-based biofuel for transportation purposes is to reduce the country's reliance on the import of expensive diesel fuel. Imports of fuels and gas are the foremost reason that Indonesia is coping with a wide current account deficit.

Lanjut baca ›

In order to curb imports of oil, the government of Indonesia intends to stimulate the production of crude palm oil-based biofuel by increasing the mandatory content of fatty acid methyl ester (which is made from palm oil) in biodiesel products from 7.5 percent to 10 percent. Through this policy, the government claims to be able to save up to USD $3 billion as it needs less fuel imports. Fuel imports totaled USD $5.8 billion in the first six months of 2013 and form a major cause for the USD $9.8 billion current account deficit in Q2-2013.

Lanjut baca ›

Indonesia's production of crude palm oil (CPO) in the first six months of 2013 rose 25.64 percent compared to semester I-2012 to 14.7 million tons, which is a little over half of this year's CPO production target. Despite weak global demand for the commodity (accompanied by falling CPO prices), growth was accomplished due to new seeds that became productive and because the total size of Indonesian palm oil estates continues to expand. Productive estates now stand at 9.4 million hectares from 8.7 million hectares last year.

Lanjut baca ›