CPO and Coal Exports Reach US$66 Billion, Monitoring System Strengthened
The export value of Indonesian crude palm oil (CPO), coal, and ferroalloys reached approximately US$66.13 billion, equivalent to Rp1,171.49 trillion. The significant value of this trade has encouraged stronger oversight of natural resource (SDA) export transactions.
Of Indonesia’s 20 largest export commodities, 16 are natural resources that have not yet been processed into finished products. Oversight is a concern because SDA export activities still face issues such as under-invoicing and transfer pricing.
In this effort, PT Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia (DSI) is playing a role in strengthening export monitoring. The company is developing a data-based digital platform to monitor transactions from various angles, from pricing to payments.
Nagara Institute researcher Edi Sewandono said there is a gap between the size of Indonesia’s export contribution and state revenue. Before the establishment of PT DSI, exporters could deal directly with foreign buyers, allowing payments to proceed without a single aggregation mechanism.
“This presence opens up opportunities to build a more integrated mechanism for monitoring prices, volumes, payments, and export destinations,” he said during a Round Table Discussion (RTD) hosted by the Nagara Institute and Akbar Faizal Uncensored (AFU), as quoted from his statement on Friday, 28 August 2026.
According to Edi, such integration requires data infrastructure, financial systems, and monitoring mechanisms capable of reducing information asymmetry. He also proposed that trading functions should not be entirely borne by DSI, as trading mechanisms require very large working capital.
The government, he said, could utilise existing trading companies, while the transaction monitoring and oversight function remains carried out through a separate mechanism.
“This approach is considered capable of maintaining reform objectives without placing the state at risk of commodity funding and trading,” he said.
Edi also encouraged the use of independent consultants and technology to evaluate commodity exports. Institutions such as SGS, Sucofindo, or Surveyor Indonesia can help ensure that commodity quality and quantity match trade documents.
Artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology is also considered capable of strengthening the objectivity of inspections and detecting potential irregularities from an early stage.
Furthermore, Managing Director of Business 3 at Danantara Asset Management, Febriany Eddy, said the digital platform being developed has eight analytical engines. The system covers pricing, quantity, quality, affiliation, shipping, destination country data, and revenue.