Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Today's Headlines Palm Oil

  • Only 16.7% of Indonesia's Oil Palm Plantations ISPO Certified

    So far, an area of 1.9 million hectares of oil palm plantations, which can produce up to 8.2 million tons of crude palm oil (CPO), has been certified under the Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) scheme. As of August 29, 306 ISPO certificates have been granted to 304 Indonesian oil palm companies, one plasma farming association, and one farmer self-help cooperative. The above-mentioned figure includes the 40 ISPO certificates that were submitted today to local palm oil companies.

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  • India's Latest Palm Oil Import Policies to Impact on Indonesia?

    India's decision to double import duties on crude palm oil (CPO) from 7.5 percent to 15 percent earlier this month should have a big impact (India being the world's largest palm oil importer). The move is an effort to protect domestic palm oil farmers. India also raised the levy on refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm olein by 10 percent to 25 percent.

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  • Commodity Price Watch Indonesia: Crude Palm Oil (CPO)

    The strengthening of the crude palm oil (CPO) price continued for the third consecutive trading day on Friday morning (21/07), supported by strong exports and bad weather. CPO futures (October 2017 contract), the most-active contract at Bursa Malaysia, had risen 0.16 percent to 2,580 ringgit per ton by 10:17 am local Jakarta time zone. Earlier in the morning the CPO price opened with a gain after rising 2.02 percent to 2,576 ringgit per ton on Thursday (19/07).

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  • Palm Oil Price at One-Month Low on Rising Malaysian Supplies

    The crude palm oil (CPO) price touched its lowest level since 4 May 2017 due to expectations of rising CPO production in Malaysia, the world's second-biggest palm oil producer. At the end of trading on Tuesday (06/06) the palm oil price had fallen 0.08 percent to 2,497 ringgit (approx. USD $585.07) per ton on the Malaysian bourse (August 2017 contracts).

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  • Agriculture Commodity Watch Indonesia: Crude Palm Oil

    Despite expectations of rising demand ahead of - and amid - the Ramadan and Idul Fitri celebrations, the price of crude palm oil (CPO) is expected to decline up to the end of June 2017. At the end of the trading day on Tuesday (30/05) the CPO price had fallen 0.56 percent to 2,502 ringgit (approx. USD $584.46) per ton (August 2017 contract) on the Malaysia bourse. So far this year, the CPO price has tumbled 14.48 percent.

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  • Palm Oil Controversy: Indonesia Versus European Union

    Again the government of Indonesia and the European Union (EU) are on opposite sides when it comes to the palm oil sector. Last week, EU parliament passed the Resolution on Palm Oil and Deforestation of Rainforests. This resolution will make it increasingly difficult for Indonesia to export palm oil to the EU as the bloc wants to gradually reduce the use of vegetable oils, including palm oil, that are not sustainably produced in biodiesel. This is a strategy to combat deforestation as well as human rights violations in this sector (for example child labor).

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  • What about Indonesia's Crude Palm Oil (CPO) Export in 2017?

    The Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (Gapki) expects Indonesian crude palm oil (CPO) exports to reach 27 million tons in 2017 (up 1.6 percent from realization in the preceding year), or USD $18.90 billion in terms of export value (up 1.7 percent from the preceding year). In other words, Gapki sees very limited growth for Indonesia's CPO exports in 2017. This bleak outlook is caused by sluggish global demand (China may in fact curtail CPO imports), while the recovery of the CPO price is not expected to be significant.

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  • Palm Oil Export Tax Indonesia Remains at $18/Ton in March 2017

    Indonesia kept its export tax for crude palm oil (CPO) shipments at USD $18 per metric ton for March 2017 as the government's March reference CPO price was determined at USD $825.8 per ton, up 1.27 percent (m/m) from the reference price in the preceding month. When this reference CPO price of Indonesia is set below USD $750 per ton, the export tax is scrapped. When the price reaches the range of USD $750 - $800, then Indonesian authorities introduce a USD $3 per ton export tax, followed by a USD $18 per metric ton export tax if the reference price rises to the range of USD $800 - $850 per ton.

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  • Productivity at Indonesia's Palm Oil Plantations Needs to Rise

    The Indonesian Palm Oil Board (DMSI) says higher productivity is the key to boost Indonesia's crude palm oil (CPO) production. Amid international pressure, particularly after the devastating forest fires on Sumatra and Kalimantan in the second half of 2015, Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced to issue a five-year moratorium on new palm oil concessions to limit the expansion of oil palm plantations in Indonesia. Although Indonesian authorities want to see rising CPO output (in order to safeguard foreign exchange earnings and create employment opportunities), further growth should come on the back of rising productivity, not by adding new plantations.

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Latest Columns Palm Oil

  • Malaysia Confirms Duty Free Palm Oil Exports in Jan; Indonesia to Follow?

    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.

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  • Palm Oil Update Indonesia: Indonesian CPO Reserves and Biodiesel

    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.

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  • Forecasts Suggest that New El Niño Cycle May Be Rather Strong in 2014

    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.

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  • Palm Oil Rich Indonesia Can Become a Global Force in the Biodiesel Industry

    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.

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  • Government May Stop Indonesia's Crude Palm Oil (CPO) Exports to Europe

    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.

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  • Government of Indonesia Serious to Develop Palm-Based Biodiesel

    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.

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  • Indonesian Government Develops Palm Oil Based Biodiesel to Curb Oil Import

    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.

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  • Indonesia's Production of Palm Oil Grows 25.6% in First Half of 2013

    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.

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  • Indonesian Crude Palm Oil Exports Surge 29% in June 2013

    Indonesian exports of crude palm oil (CPO) in June 2013 grew about 29 percent to 1.62 million ton compared to the same month last year. Although production of CPO in Indonesia slowed down in June, higher demand for Indonesia's CPO is met because there are still sufficient amounts of stockpiles. A high official at the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki) said that stockpiles in 2012 grew to 5 million tons as global demand for the commodity weakened sharply amid international economic turmoil.

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  • No Recovery in Palm Oil Price: Demand Weakens while Production Grows

    The recovery in global palm oil prices that seemed to have started last spring, has ended. A few months ago, optimism had colored expectations of many analysts as palm oil prices went up about 10 percent between early May and mid-June, after tumbling 30 percent in 2012 (causing that palm oil was one of the worst performing commodities in terms of price growth last year). However, the palm oil price increase earlier this year was merely the result of falling production rates in Indonesia and Malaysia, the world's largest palm oil producers.

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