Indonesian palm oil exports rise 8% from last year

According to Reuters, the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) reports that Indonesia’s 2018 exports of palm oils, oleochemical and biodiesel shipments, has risen 8% from 2017 to 34.6 million tonnes.  

Reuters reports GAPKI chairman, Joko Supriyono said that shipments to China and Pakistan rose last year in order to support global demand for vegetable oil.

However, shipments to India have dropped 12% due to higher import tariffs that have been imposed by the world’s biggest vegetable oil buyer, states Reuters. Exports to European Union countries have also dropped over the past year.

In the last year, Indonesia exported 32 million tonnes of palm and palm kernel oils, whilst last year, crude palm oil output increased 12.5% to 43 million tonnes. Reuters reports that this was Indonesia’s highest output in history after such a large harvest.

Supriyono said that crude oil output was estimated to increase by 4 to 5% in 2019.

Vice-chairman of Indonesia’s Biodiesel Producers Association, Paulus Tjakrawan told Reuters that domestic use of biodiesel in 2019 has risen at least 6.2 million kilolitres, from 4.3 million kilolitres in 2018.