Indonesia's Fertiliser Production Surpluses, Attracting Interest from Australia to India

The government states that Indonesia has a surplus in domestic fertiliser production. This has led several countries to express interest in importing fertiliser from Indonesia.

Presidential Special Envoy for Energy and Environment Hashim Djojohadikusumo said Indonesia will export 250,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser. There is also interest from India to import 500,000 tonnes of fertiliser.

"Urea fertiliser produced by Pupuk Indonesia has been exported, or will be exported in quite large quantities. For example, 250,000 tonnes of urea to Australia. India has also requested, I read, 500,000 tonnes, and there are several other countries," said Hashim on Thursday (23/4/2026).

Previously, the government said it is opening opportunities to export up to around 1 million tonnes of urea fertiliser to several partner countries. Brazil is one of the main destinations, along with India, the Philippines, Thailand, and Australia, in line with increasing global fertiliser needs amid supply chain disruptions.

"In the future, part of Indonesia’s urea fertiliser will be exported to India, the Philippines, Thailand, and Brazil, with a total export commitment of approximately 1 million tonnes," said Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya in his statement, quoted on Wednesday (22/4/2026).

This export plan is driven by the surplus domestic production conditions. Based on data from the Ministry of Agriculture, national urea production reaches 7.8 million tonnes, while domestic needs are around 6.3 million tonnes. This gap opens opportunities for Indonesia to enter the international market more aggressively.

"According to data from the Minister of Agriculture, total national urea production is 7.8 million tonnes and domestic needs are around 6.3 million tonnes. This step is expected to maintain domestic supply resilience while strengthening Indonesia’s contribution to the global market," he revealed.

Teddy disclosed that this export commitment was also discussed in communications between President Prabowo Subianto and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

"In that communication, PM Albanese expressed appreciation for the President’s approval regarding the export of Indonesian urea fertiliser to Australia amounting to 250,000 tonnes in the first phase," he said.