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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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On 19 April 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 matters such as an update on Bank Indonesia’s interest rate policy, the performance of the rupiah, the March trade balance, updates on coal, palm oil, cement and car sales, GDP growth forecast, alcohol in Indonesia, and more.

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Due to rising output amid the start of the seasonal increase in production in Indonesia and Malaysia, the world’s two largest crude palm oil (CPO) producers, CPO prices may touch a six-year low in 2015. According to Dorab Mistry, Director at Godrej International, there is one factor that may be able to block CPO prices from reaching this low and that is the successful implementation of Indonesia’s biodiesel program as this would absorb a significant portion of Indonesian CPO output hence reducing downward pressures on CPO prices.

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Pada 12 April 2015, Indonesia Investments merilis edisi terbaru dari newsletter-nya. Newsletter gratis ini, yang dikirimkan kepada para pelanggan kami sekali seminggu, berisi berita-berita paling penting dari Indonesia yang telah dilaporkan di website kami dalam tujuh hari terakhir. Kebanyakan topik mencakup isu-isu ekonomi seperti update industri minyak sawit, beacukai ekspor CPO, pembatalan proyek Pelabuhan Laut Cilamaya, cadangan devisa Indonesia, pandangan Standard & Poor mengenai perekonomian Indonesia, dan banyak lagi.

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After having decided to introduce export levies for palm oil, the Indonesian government is considering to impose similar measures on rubber, coffee and other commodities in a move to generate capital to invest in the country’s agriculture industry. Per April 2015, a USD $50 (per metric ton) export levy is imposed on crude palm oil (CPO) shipments, and a USD $30 (per metric ton) export levy on processed palm oil export products. Proceeds from these CPO levies will be allocated to finance the government’s biodiesel program.

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Pengapalan minyak sawit mentah (crude palm oil/CPO) dari Malaysia naik 18% pada basis month-to-month (m/m) pada bulan Maret karena perusahaan-perusahaan segera mengekspor CPO sebelum penerapan (kembali) pajak ekspor 4,5% di bulan April. Pajak ekspor ini telah dihapus sejak September 2014 dalam usaha untuk mendongkrak permintaan dan harga CPO. Diprediksi bahwa produksi rata-rata CPO di Malaysia naik 18% (m/m) menjadi 1,32 juta ton di bulan Maret, yang juga berarti bahwa produksi minyak sawit di Malaysia meningkat untuk pertama kalinya di dalam 7 bulan.

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The price of crude palm oil (CPO), which has been under downward pressure for a long time as global turmoil lingers on, started to rebound due to falling stockpiles in Indonesia and Malaysia. Reserves of the commodity fell because of weather conditions and because of an increase in demand ahead of the Islamic fasting month (Ramadhan). The price of crude palm oil is expected to hit the USD $900 per ton mark in late 2013, up from USD $828-865 per ton in May and June. This price recovery is expected to continue.

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Indonesia's trade balance recorded another deficit in April 2013 as imports (USD $16.31 billion) exceeded exports (USD $14.70 billion). April's trade deficit, amounting to USD $1.62 billion, was mainly due to continued weak commodity exports in combination with strong oil, basic machinery and utensils imports. After five consecutive months of deficits up to February, Indonesia’s trade account reported a surplus of USD $330 million in March, but fell back into deficit in April. From January to April, Indonesia's trade deficit stands at USD $1.85 billion.

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Last week, president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono extended the moratorium on new permits to convert natural forests and peat lands for a further two years. In 2011, Indonesia's government signed the two-year primary forest moratorium that came into effect on 20 May 2011 and expired in May 2013. This moratorium implies a temporary stop to the granting of new permits to clear rain forests and peat lands in the country. The moratorium particularly aims to limit Indonesia's quickly expanding palm oil industry.

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Although the United States continues its traditional focus on direct investments in developed countries, primarily in Western Europe, there has been a significant rise in US investments in Indonesia in recent years. Whereas US investments in the developed economies of Western Europe is mostly found in the financial sector and through holding companies, in developing Asia, the US is more focused on the manufacturing sector due to lower production costs. In the last two years, the US emerged as the second-largest investor in Indonesia after Japan.

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Shareholders of Astra Agro Lestari, Indonesia's largest agribusiness company by value (which is particularly engaged in palm oil and rubber plantations), agreed to distribute IDR 1.08 trillion (USD $111 million) in dividends to its shareholders. The allocated amount is equivalent to about 45 percent of the company's net profit in 2012. Dividend per share is set at IDR 685 (USD $0.071). Last November, the company had already paid interim dividend of IDR 230 per share. Final dividend will be paid on 3 June 2013.

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Indonesian companies engaged in the production of a variety of agricultural products, such as palm oil, experienced a rather poor year in 2012 regarding net profit. Global economic turmoil has reduced the world's consumption of palm oil in both the developed markets and developing markets. In particular decreased demand from China, the world’s biggest buyer after India, made a negative impact on the balance sheets of Indonesian companies.

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