Government: Private Sector Undertaking USD 4.5 Billion Agricultural Product Imports from United States

JAKARTA — The Indonesian government has stated that imports of agricultural products worth USD 4.5 billion (approximately IDR 75.6 trillion) from the United States are being conducted by the private sector.

Spokesperson for the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Haryo Limanseto, said that these imports are not funded through the State Budget Revenue and Expenditure (APBN). The government’s involvement in the transaction is limited to providing facilitation, as outlined in the Indonesia-United States reciprocal trade agreement.

“All transactions and financing are entirely within the private sector,” Haryo stated in a press release on Sunday (1 March 2026).

Haryo noted that agricultural product imports from the United States are part of Indonesia’s strategy to maintain trade relations. According to data from the Ministry of Trade, the United States is Indonesia’s second largest export destination. The United States also generated the largest export surplus for Indonesia in 2025, reaching USD 31 billion (approximately IDR 520.4 trillion).

This represents 11 percent of Indonesia’s total exports to all countries, which reached USD 282.9 billion (approximately IDR 4,749.2 trillion). “Maintaining access to the American market through a balanced trade approach is therefore a rational step to protect the competitiveness of national products,” Haryo said.

Indonesia currently imports agricultural raw materials such as wheat, which are used by the food processing industry, some of which are export-oriented. “By opening up wider and more competitive supply options, domestic business actors can obtain stable, high-quality raw materials at competitive prices,” Haryo explained.

Agricultural product imports from the United States are relatively modest when compared to total agricultural imports from all sources. In 2025, Indonesia imported USD 1.21 billion (approximately IDR 20.3 trillion) in agricultural products from the United States, whilst total agricultural imports from all countries reached USD 13.2 billion (approximately IDR 221.6 trillion).