InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA — The performance of palm oil (CPO) exports and its derivative products has once again become the mainstay of Indonesia's trade balance surplus. From January to June 2025, palm oil exports recorded a fantastic value of US$11.43 billion, soaring 24.81 percent compared to the same period last year. This achievement has become one of the main drivers of the national trade surplus.
Recent data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) shows that Indonesia's goods trade balance remains strong in positive territory, recording a surplus of US$19.48 billion in the first six months of this year. This figure is US$3.90 billion higher than the same period in 2024. With this achievement, Indonesia has recorded 62 consecutive months of surplus since May 2020.
“This surplus is primarily driven by the performance of non-oil and gas exports, which contributed a surplus of US$23.81 billion,” said Pudji Ismartini, Deputy for Distribution Statistics and Services at BPS, in an official statement quoted by InfoSAWIT on Sunday (3/8). Conversely, the oil and gas sector still experienced a deficit of US$8.83 billion.
In total, Indonesia's exports reached US$135.41 billion, while imports were recorded at US$115.94 billion. This export performance grew by 7.70 percent year-on-year (YoY), with the processing industry sector as the main contributor at US$107.60 billion, up 16.57 percent compared to last year.
Palm Oil Surpasses Coal
The significant increase in CPO exports has made it one of the three non-oil and gas commodities with the largest export contributions. Along with iron and steel (US$13.79 billion, up 9.79 percent) and coal (US$11.97 billion, down 21.09 percent), the three together account for nearly 29 percent of total non-oil and gas exports.
Although coal exports have sharply declined, the performance of palm oil has managed to fill that gap. This achievement reaffirms the strategic role of CPO as the backbone of national exports, especially amid fluctuations in global commodity prices.
The three main destination countries for Indonesia's non-oil and gas exports remain unchanged: China, the United States, and India. Together, they absorbed about 41.34 percent of Indonesia's total non-oil and gas exports from January to June 2025.
China remains the largest trading partner with export values reaching US$29.31 billion (22.83 percent), dominated by iron and steel products, mineral fuels, and nickel. The United States ranks second with US$14.79 billion (11.52 percent), followed by India with US$8.97 billion (6.99 percent), which has become an important market for Indonesian CPO products.
Seeing the positive trend in palm oil exports and the strengthening of the processing industry sector, the government is optimistic that the trade balance surplus will remain stable until the end of the year. However, dependence on the global market requires vigilance against price volatility and geopolitical dynamics.
With CPO exports continuing to rise, the national palm oil industry demonstrates its resilience in supporting the economy while reinforcing the strategic role of this sector in maintaining Indonesia's trade balance stability. (T2)
