Palm oil exports may decline by 1.5 million metric tons following the implementation of a policy on the mandatory use of renewable energy, a government official said Wednesday, Bloomberg reported. “In relation to the mandatory policy for bio-energy issued last month, we see that the use of agricultural products for alternative energy will increase,” Bayu Krisnamurthi, a deputy to the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, said, adding that it will cut palm oil exports.

Sales of crude palm oil are expected to double in October to $2 billion from the previous month due to a further cut in the export tax on the commodity to 7.5% from 10%, a senior government official said Thursday, Dow Jones reported. The total sales figures include both exports and sales into the domestic market, where demand is gradually increasing due to a government directive to make use of biofuels by 2009, said Diah Maulida, Director General for Foreign Trade of the Trade Ministry.

The government is offering tax benefits for certain new investments as part of efforts to improve the investment climate amid the deepening global financial crisis, the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs said Monday, Dow Jones reported.

This year’s forecast of 12.5% non-oil-and-gas export growth will be maintained despite the global economic slowdown, the trade minister said on Thursday, Reuters reported. “Exports this year may not be affected because of strong exports in the past eight months. The impact of the global economic slowdown will not be felt until next year,” Mari Pangestu told reporters. “Exports of non oil-and-gas are still on track to grow at a minimum 12.5%,” she said.

Inflation during September came in at 0.97%, up on the August figure of 0.51% and taking the year-on-year figure to 12.14%, the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) stated on Monday, Detikcom reported. The cost of food through the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan was the major contributor to the higher inflation with a rise of 1.9%, Ali Rosidi of BPS told a press conference. Nevertheless all cost areas showed higher trends.

Indonesia is likely to be saved from the worst effects of the global financial crisis due to its very limited engagement with the world’s financial system, according to a panel of experts quoted by Kompas on Saturday.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The current global financial crisis has adversely affected the self-reliant oil palm growers because the price of oil palm fruits has dropped. Yayat Hudaya, Secretary of the Federation of Plantation Companies, Bengkulu chapter, said here on Monday that world demand for Indonesia`s crude palm oil had also declined.

Denpasar (ANTARA News) - The number of American tourists to Bali has been increasing since the Indonesian government had lifted its travel warning, classiying the number of American tourists coming to the island resort as one of the big-ten. The number of tourists from other western countries also increased by an average of 20 percent, Ida Komang Wisnu, Head of the Bali Central Bureau of Statistics said here Monday.

Indonesia's billionaire Chief Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie, whose companies are already being held responsible for the biggest man-made environmental disaster in Indonesian history, is now in trouble for playing a major role in wrecking the country's stock market, which has been closed for three days.