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Today's Headlines Biodiesel
Although the crude palm oil price remains under pressure at the start of 2018 (as palm oil stocks touched their highest level in over two years last December), prospects for the crude palm oil industry seem positive in 2018. Meanwhile, 2017 can be labeled the year of recovery for stakeholders in the palm oil industry after having been plagued by El Nino-related weather trouble in the preceding year.
Indonesian biodiesel producers are in search of new export markets after the USA announced to introduce heavy anti-dumping duties and anti-subsidy rates on palm oil-based biodiesel imports from Indonesia. The Trade Ministry said Indonesia exported USD $255.6 million worth of biodiesel to the USA in 2016. This constitutes 89.2 percent of Indonesia's total biodiesel shipments.
In a final ruling, released overnight (09/11), the US Commerce Department set anti-subsidy rates in the range of 34.45 - 64.73 percent for palm oil-based biodiesel imports that originate from Indonesia. This final ruling was slightly lighter than the preliminary 41.06 - 68.28 percent range that was set in August 2017.
Based on statements from a government agency, Indonesia's biodiesel consumption is set to decline in the second half of 2017 due to some "technical issues". While in the first six months of 2017 biodiesel consumption in Indonesia reached 1.67 million kiloliters, this figure is expected to fall to 0.86 million kiloliters in the second half of the year, hence resulting in an estimated total of 2.53 million kiloliters in full-year 2017.
On Monday (23/10) the US Commerce Department issued a preliminary ruling and decided to set anti-dumping duties of 50.71 percent on biodiesel imports from Indonesia. Meanwhile, the USA also set anti-dumping duties, ranging between 54.36 to 70.05 percent, on soy-based biodiesel imports from Argentina.
Stakeholders in Indonesia's biodiesel industry are waiting for the final ruling of the US Commerce Department regarding the dumping of biodiesel products on the American market. The USA accuses Indonesia and Argentina of subsidizing biodiesel exports, hence leading to uncompetitive US vegetable oils (particularly soybean oil).
The US government plans to impose 40 percent import duties on biodiesel products that are shipped from Indonesia as the USA accuses the world's largest palm oil producer and exporter of dumping biodiesel products on the American market. As a result US vegetable oils (particularly soybean oil) lack competitiveness.
Indonesia is set to file a complaint at the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) later this month over the anti-dumping duties that were imposed by the European Union (EU) on biodiesel exports from Indonesia. Since the implementation of these anti-dumping duties in 2013 - ranging between 8.8 to 20.5 percent or €76.94 to €178.85 per ton - Indonesia's biodiesel exports to the EU plunged severely, from USD $625 million in 2013 to an estimated USD $9 million in 2017.
Fadhil Hasan, Executive Director of the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (Gapki), informed that Indonesia's exports of crude palm oil (CPO) and its derivatives (including biodiesel and oleo-chemicals) reached 1.74 million tons in July 2016, down around 8 percent from the 1.89 million tons that were exported one month earlier. The decline in exports is attributed to rising CPO consumption at home and easing demand in several key export markets.
Bayu Krisnamurthi, President Director of the Indonesian Oil Palm Estate Fund (BPDP-KS), said total exports of palm oil and its derivatives in the first quarter of 2016 reached 7.42 million tons. It is interesting to note that 87.2 percent of this total figure (or 6.47 million tons) comprises processed palm oil products, while the remainder consists of crude palm oil (CPO), implying that the downstreaming of the palm oil sector is developing smoothly. Krisnamurthi says the imposition of export levies on CPO has managed to encourage the development of downstream industries in the nation's palm oil sector.
Latest Columns Biodiesel
In the first month of 2022, we detected some positive signs, both abroad and at home (in Indonesia) as there is growing evidence that the Omicron variant is encouraging strong herd immunity around the world, while not making too many people ill to the extent that they require hospitalization.
Indonesia is the world’s biggest palm oil grower as well as the world’s biggest exporter of crude palm oil (CPO). Traditionally, palm oil exports are ranked among the top three export products of Indonesia (along with coal and natural gas). As such, palm oil is of crucial importance for the Indonesian economy.
On 1 September 2018 the expanded B20 biodiesel program was launched. It means that the government of Indonesia requires all diesel fuel that is used within the country to contain biodiesel (with a 20 percent amount of bio-content, typically fatty acid methyl ester [FAME] that is derived from palm oil). This program will boost domestic palm oil consumption (which is important because palm oil exports are currently not doing too great amid low prices and anti-palm oil campaigns in various western countries), but more importantly the program aims to slash imports of fuel, hence encouraging a narrower current account deficit and a stronger rupiah. Meanwhile, the program also aims at reducing carbon emissions.
On Wednesday (18/04) Indonesian Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto met Norwegian Minister of Fisheries Per Sandberg to discuss trade. In the meeting Hartarto requested easier access for several Indonesian products on the Norwegian market. For example, lower tariffs for textiles and footwear. Meanwhile, Indonesia also wants to keep access to Norway for products that are derived from palm oil. Recently, Norway's parliament voted to ban the public procurement and use of palm oil-based biofuel.
In the battle between Indonesia and the European Union (EU) regarding the latter's anti-dumping duties on Indonesian biodiesel exports, Indonesia won six out of seven legal challenges. Indonesia had challenged the EU's duties, set in 2013, on biodiesel imports from Indonesia and Argentina. The World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled, largely, in favor of Indonesia.
Crude palm oil (CPO) production in Indonesia and Malaysia is expected to decline due to the impact of the El Nino weather phenomenon (that brought a prolonged dry season to Southeast Asia). CPO production in Malaysia could fall between 1.5 and 2 million tons this year according to Dorab Mistry, Director at Godrej International. Declining output in the world's two leading palm oil producers and exporters implies that palm oil prices should be able to rise further. At the start of this week palm oil futures traded in Kuala Lumpur (June delivery) rose to 2,779 ringgit (approx. USD $695) per ton, the highest level since March 2014.
Although the Indonesian government has already announced that biodiesel subsidies have been raised to IDR 4,000 per liter (from IDR 1,500 per liter in 2014) and bioethanol to IDR 3,000 per liter (from IDR 2,000 last year) - in a move to protect the domestic biofuel industry as production costs exceed market prices amid the low global palm oil prices -, Indonesian biodiesel producers are eager to see the country’s biodiesel price is set based on a different benchmark than the Mean of Platts Singapore (MoPS).
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.
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.
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.
