Palm Oil Exporters in Indonesia: Market Trends & Growth 2025

In early 2025, palm oil exporters in Indonesia continue to dominate the global market. As the world’s largest producer and exporter of palm oil, Indonesia plays a critical role in fulfilling the global demand for this versatile commodity.

But with growing domestic pressures, regulatory challenges, and rising competition from neighboring countries, exporters must navigate a shifting landscape. In this article, we examine the key export trends, major players, opportunities, and challenges facing the industry.

Who is the largest exporter of palm oil in the world?

According to TradeInt‘s latest trade data 2025, Indonesia is the world’s largest palm oil exporter and continues to lead the global palm oil market by a wide margin. In the first five months of 2025, the country exported around 8.3 million tons of palm oil products, representing a 3.6% year-over-year increase. This export volume confirms the country’s position as a leading supplier to both developed and emerging economies.

The top 5 world's largest palm oil exporters in H1 2025:

1. Indonesia, export value: 3.36 USD billion

Key notes: Major exports to India, China, and Pakistan. Government pushing B40 biodiesel, price stabilization. Land, sustainability, and labor policy shifts.

1. Malaysia, export value: 1.77 USD billion

Key notes: Major buyers: India, China, Kenya, Philippines. Facing labor shortages and responding to EU green policies. Exports rebounded in Q3.

1. Colombia, export value: 428.1 USD million

Key notes: High domestic biodiesel demand has curbed export growth. Main buyers: EU, Mexico. Strategic investment in productivity and traceability.

1. Peru, export value: 93.76 USD million

Key notes: Top LATAM exporter after Colombia. Main buyers: Mexico, Chile, Ecuador. New sustainability frameworks, but face land/environment pressure.

1. Philippines, export value: 44.51 USD million

Key notes: Growth trend, but vulnerable to climate. Major buyers: Malaysia, Vietnam, China. Focus on domestic demand, value-added products, and delivery reliability.

In early 2025, the biggest buyers of Indonesian palm oil came from diverse regions, reflecting a highly diversified global trade network with presence across Asia, the Americas, and Africa.

• Singapore – $894.2 million (26.68%)
• India – $410.03 million (12.24%)
• Pakistan – $260.63 million (7.78%)
• United States – $254.81 million (7.60%)

Egypt – $219.86 million (6.56%)

In both traditional and emerging markets, Indonesia’s palm oil products have many unique advantages, including supply stability and price competitiveness.

Businesses looking to thrive in this dynamic landscape need the expertise of reliable and savvy partners. Schedule a free demo to uncover reliable import partners in your target market.

TradeInt is a global trade data platform providing access to over 10 billion verified import and export records. Its coverage spans over 200 countries and more than 80 customs data sources.

This article provides an overview of Indonesia’s palm oil exporters. Use TradeInt to explore more detailed trade records and research exporters and revisit their trade activity as new data becomes available. Search Indonesia palm oil export records →

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Who are the top 5 biggest palm oil exporter companies in Indonesia in H1 2025?

Based on TradeInt’s latest trade records, the biggest palm oil exporter in Indonesia, based on value, was Ivo Mas Tunggal. At $337.49 million, its figure accounted for more than 10% of the country’s total.

The top 5 world's largest palm oil exporter companies in Indonesia H1 2025:

1. IVO MAS TUNGGAL, export value: 337.49 USD millionKey notes: Subsidiary of Sinar Mas, a major producer/exporter serving domestic and global clients. Focused on plantation management, refining, and sustainability.

2. INTIBENUA PERKASATAMA, export value: 289.25 USD millionKey notes: Leading palm oil refiner/manufacturer under Apical Group. Key player in exports, especially to Asia. Strong sustainability and RSPO compliance record.

3. SARI DUMAI SEJATI, export value: 276.72 USD millioNKey notes: Refiner and exporter under Apical Group, known for a traceable supply chain and advanced refineries. Key export markets: Europe, Asia. 100% mill traceability.

4. PT SUMBER INDAHPERKASA, export value: 241.06 USD million

Key notes: Sinar Mas subsidiary, large palm oil plantation and production operations across Sumatra, Lampung, and Papua. Established in 1989. Focused on sustainable plantation and RSPO standards.

5. PACIFIC INDOPALM INDUSTRIES, export value: 182.67 USD million

Key notes: Major refinery and exporter based in Dumai (Sumatra). State-of-the-art refining/fractionation. Rapid asset and revenue growth (2023).

Why does Indonesia export so much palm oil? What are the underlying opportunities and challenges?

Opportunities

Despite some uncertainties, strong global demand continues to offer major growth opportunities for palm oil exporters in Indonesia.

• Resilient demand from sectors like food processing, packaged goods, and personal care supports consistent export volumes, even during economic slowdowns.
• Palm oil remains the highest-yielding vegetable oil, ensuring cost-efficiency and competitiveness.
• Indonesian palm oil production is projected to rise by 3% to 47M tonnes in the 2025/26 season due to favourable weather and increased fertilizer use, according to a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) report.

Bar chart of global vegetable oil production (million tonnes) for 2017/18, 2019/20, 2021/22, 2023/24 prelim., and 2025/26 forecast: palm oil remains largest (70→~80 Mt), soybean oil rises (55→~70 Mt), rapeseed edges up (28→mid-30s Mt), sunflower stays around the low-20s. Source: USDA.

Current and emerging challenges

While opportunities are strong, exporters must also prepare for several structural challenges.

1. Rising domestic consumption may limit exportable volumes

Domestic use is projected to reach 22.6 million tons in 2025/26, including:

• 4 million tons of food
• 9 million tons for industrial use, particularly biodiesel, driven by the B40 blending mandate

1. Higher export taxes

To support domestic programs, the government increased the Indonesia palm oil export tax by 10% in 2025. This policy limits competitiveness abroad, especially in emerging markets that are sensitive to price.

As a result, the 2025-26 export forecast is 24 million tons, only slightly up from 23 million in 2024-25, showing signs of stagnation.

1. Trade barriers

The US is expected to impose a higher tariff of 19% on Indonesian palm oil, causing significant disruptions to one of Indonesia’s major export markets. In addition, the European Union continues to implement strict sustainability regulations (EUDR), which place pressure on supply chain traceability. These barriers significantly impact palm oil exporters in Indonesia, particularly smaller firms with limited compliance capacity.

1. Increasing competition from Malaysia

In early 2025, Indonesia outperformed Malaysia in both value and volume of palm oil exports. However, the latter is investing heavily in its palm oil industry to close the gap with Indonesia in terms of sustainability requirements and value-added products.

• Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) 2.0 Certification, which sets stricter sustainability standards, including greenhouse gas management, high conservation value (HCV) area protection, social responsibility, and supply chain traceability.
• Financial incentives for smallholders: The 2025 budget allocates RM100 million (about $22 million) to incentivize smallholders to replant unproductive and aging oil palm trees, aimed at improving yields and long-term sustainability on approximately 5,900 hectares.
• Malaysia raised the windfall profit levy threshold for crude palm oil (CPO) producers in Peninsular Malaysia to RM3,150/ton and to RM3,650/ton for Sabah and Sarawak in 2025. Export duties on CPO have also been increased progressively based on price thresholds to encourage domestic refinement and production of value-added sustainable products such as biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuel.

How to thrive in a challenging landscape with TradeInt

To succeed in a rapidly evolving trade environment, palm oil exporters in Indonesia need more than just operational efficiency. They need strategic intelligence, which TradeInt supplies.

TradeInt provides:

• Updated trade data, including shipment flows and trade values across global markets.
• Market performance insights to help businesses identify the most lucrative and stable export destinations.
• Partner discovery tools to access a vetted network of trusted importers, helping Indonesia palm oil export companies form reliable partnerships.

With the help of TradeInt, exporters can develop smarter sourcing strategies, set competitive pricing, and forecast demand fluctuations. In other words, TradeInt enables palm oil exporters in Indonesia to future-proof their businesses with confidence.

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