Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Today's Headlines Palm Oil

  • Indonesia Investments' Newsletter of 1 May 2016 Released

    On 1 May 2016, 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 over the last seven days. Most of the topics involve political and economic matters such as the 12th economic policy package, problems related to the land reclamation project off the coast of Jakarta, an update on inflation, the palm oil industry, smartphone usage, the most profitable companies, and much more.

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  • Commodities: Indonesia's Palm Oil Export Tax Back in May 2016

    For the first time since October 2014, Indonesia's palm oil exporters will have to pay an export tax on crude palm oil (CPO) shipments as the government's reference CPO price was set at USD $754.10 per ton in May (the level of USD $750 per ton separates taxable from non-taxable shipments). The Indonesian government announced that it will impose a USD $3 per ton tax on CPO exports in May 2016. Palm oil is the key foreign exchange earner for Indonesia in terms of non-mining export products. The country is the world's largest producer and exporter of CPO, followed by Malaysia.

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  • Palm Oil Indonesia: After Dry El Nino, Will Wet La Nina Impact CPO Output?

    Franky Oesman Widjaja, Chairman of Sinar Mas Agribusiness & Foods, expects Indonesia's crude palm oil production in 2016 to drop by 5-10 percent (y/y) due to the impact of the El Nino weather phenomenon that brought extreme dry weather to Southeast Asia in 2015. However, in several Indonesian regions palm oil plantations are now being plagued by floods giving rise to speculation whether El Nino is to be followed by La Nina. La Nina - the opposite of El Nino - brings cooler than average sea temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean causing wetter-than-usual weather in Southeast Asia.

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  • Indonesia Investments' Newsletter of 24 April 2016 Released

    On 24 April 2016, 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 over the last seven days. Most of the topics involve political and economic matters such as Joko Widodo's visit to Europe, the monetary policy of Bank Indonesia, Indonesia's Gini ratio, the palm oil and coal sectors, foreign ownership of property in Indonesia, the problems surrounding infrastructure spending in Indonesia, and more.

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  • Indonesian Research Firm: 2016 Palm Oil Output Curbed by Drought & Haze

    Riset Perkebunan Nusantara, a state-owned research firm, expects Indonesia's crude palm oil (CPO) production to drop 4.2 percent (y/y) to 32 million tons in 2016. The firm further adds that in 2015 Indonesia had a total of 11.3 million hectares of palm oil plantation, consisting of plantations owned by the state (750,000 hectares), plantations owned by the private sector (5.97 million hectares) and plantations owned by smallholders (4.58 million hectares). The palm oil sector is one of Indonesia's key foreign exchange earners. Indonesia is the world's largest producer and exporter of palm oil, followed by Malaysia.

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  • Downstream Palm Oil Industry of Indonesia in Development

    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.

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  • Indonesia Investments' Newsletter of 17 April 2016 Released

    On 17 April 2016, 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 over the last seven days. Most of the topics involve hot topics and economic matters such as an update on GDP growth, Bank Indonesia's new benchmark monetary tool, the palm oil sector, the coal price, the trade balance, an excise tax on plastic items, and more.

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  • Indonesia & Malaysia Set Criteria for the Council of Palm Oil Producer Countries

    Nine or ten crude palm oil (CPO) producers want to join the Council of Palm Oil Producer Countries (CPOPC), the intergovernmental palm oil council set up by the world's two largest CPO producers and exporters: Indonesia and Malaysia. These two initiators signed an agreement in November 2015 for the establishment of the CPOPC - headquartered in Jakarta - that aims to control the global CPO supply, stabilize palm oil prices, promote sustainable practices in the palm oil industry, and enhance the welfare of oil palm smallholders; more or less the role that OPEC has in the crude oil industry.

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  • Indonesia Investments' Newsletter of 3 April 2016 Released

    On 3 April 2016, 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 over the last seven days. Most of the topics involve economic matters such as Indonesia´s 11th economic policy package, the latest inflation and manufacturing figures, an update on palm oil export, tenders for geothermal power development, fruit export, the fuel price policy, and much more.

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  • Fitch Ratings Indonesia Cuts Outlook Sinar Mas Group's Palm Oil Firms

    Global ratings agency Fitch Ratings cut its outlook on three Indonesian palm oil companies - Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology (SMART), Ivo Mas Tungkal, and Sawit Mas Sejahtera - from stable to negative. The rating of the three companies was cut to AA (idn) by Fitch Ratings Indonesia. However, an AA (idn) rating still denotes a low probability of default for the company and its bonds. The rating of bonds of SMAR, due in 2017 and 2019, were also cut to AA (idn). The three palm oil companies are owned by Golden Agri Resources, part of the Sinar Mas Group that is controlled by Eka Tjipta Widjaja, one of the richest Indonesians.

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Latest Columns Palm Oil

  • Indonesia Benefits from Near-Record High Palm Oil Price, But India’s Demand May Drop

    Although there is plenty of opposition to – and criticism on – Indonesia for allowing crude palm oil (or CPO) to play a big role in the domestic economy (Indonesia being the world’s largest producer and exporter of CPO), the country is currently feeling the windfall from soaring CPO prices. And, it is contributing to Indonesia’s recovery from the severe – and still ongoing – novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

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  • Palm Oil Industry Indonesia: CPO Price Under Pressure in Early March

    Several negative sentiments are putting pressure on the crude palm oil (CPO) price in the first week of March 2018. These sentiments are expected to continue pushing downward pressure on the CPO price in the remainder of this week. On Monday (05/03) the CPO price on the Malaysia Derivatives Exchange (May 2018 shipments) fell 0.28 percent to 2,467 ringgit per metric ton. Compared to one week earlier, the price has now declined 2.91 percent.

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  • WTO Rules in Favor of Indonesia on EU's Biodiesel Anti-Dumping Duties

    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.

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  • Palm Oil Update Indonesia: Rising CPO Price in Q1-2018?

    The crude palm oil (CPO) price is expected to strengthen in the first quarter of 2018 due to the impact of the La Nina weather phenomenon and rising CPO demand in the traditional big CPO importing countries. This is good news for stakeholders in the palm oil industry as the price has been sliding around 16 percent so far this year (toward the 2,700 Malaysian ringgit per ton level).

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  • What Are Indonesia's Top Foreign Exchange Earners?

    Foreign exchange earnings are important assets for a national economy. Therefore, many nations have recently been taking a much more protectionist approach vis-à-vis trade in an effort to strengthen their trade positions, generate trade surpluses, hence see the inflow of more foreign exchange earnings. Foreign exchange assets support a stable local currency as well as economy.

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  • Indonesia Launched Palm Oil Rejuvenation Scheme for Smallholders

    The Indonesian government is eager to boost domestic crude palm oil (CPO) production, but not at the expense of tropical forest (by adding new oil palm plantations). Instead, a new government program aims to replant 20,000 hectares of smallholder palm oil plantations in 2017 under the condition that farmers meet the requirements that are stipulated by Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification.

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