Government Raises Export Duty and Levy on Crude Palm Oil in March by 20.40 US Dollars
Jakarta – The government has raised the export duty and levy on crude palm oil (CPO) for the period of 1–31 March 2026. The increase amounts to 2.22 per cent compared with the period of 1–29 February 2026.
The Director-General of Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Trade, Tommy Andana, stated that the increase in export levy equalled US$20.40.
“The reference price (HR) for CPO in March 2026 strengthened compared with the previous period,” said Tommy in an official statement on Saturday (28 February 2026).
The February period recorded an export duty and levy on CPO products of US$918.47 per metric tonne.
Tommy explained that the CPO export duty for March 2026 is based on Column 7 of Appendix C of Finance Minister Regulation Number 38 of 2024 read together with Finance Minister Regulation Number 68 of 2025. The determination of the CPO export levy refers to Appendix A of Finance Minister Regulation Number 69 of 2025.
The reference price is established on the basis of the average price for the period from 20 January to 19 February 2026. The Indonesia CPO Exchange recorded US$882.76 per metric tonne. The Malaysia CPO Exchange stood at US$994.97 per metric tonne. The Port CPO price in Rotterdam reached US$1,252.36 per metric tonne.
Trade Minister Regulation Number 35 of 2025 stipulates that where the difference between the average of three price sources exceeds US$40 per metric tonne, the reference price is determined using the two sources that represent the median and are closest to the median.
“Thus, the reference price is sourced from the Malaysia CPO Exchange and the Indonesia CPO Exchange. Based on this calculation, the reference price for CPO is established at US$938.87 per metric tonne,” said Tommy.
Tommy stated that the increase in the CPO reference price was driven by increased demand from importing countries, particularly from major importing nations such as India and China, which was not matched by an increase in supply. The limited supply resulted from a decline in production and an increase in the price of other vegetable oils, specifically soya bean oil.
The government has also established the reference price for cocoa beans in March at US$4,047.45 per metric tonne. This figure is down 29.21 per cent compared with the previous period, which was recorded at US$1,669.99.
The decrease in the cocoa bean reference price has affected a fall in the export benchmark price for March 2026 to US$3,722 per metric tonne. This represents a decline of 39.44 per cent or US$1,628 from the previous period.
“The fall in the reference price and export benchmark price for cocoa beans is influenced by a decline in demand that is not matched by an increase in supply as production improves in major producing countries such as Côte d’Ivoire,” said Tommy.