Prabowo rebukes palm oil and coal exporters for keeping export earnings abroad

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has rebuked palm oil and coal exporters for keeping export proceeds (DHE) abroad, despite the funds being needed to strengthen national economic stability. “Every day, every week, every month, our palm oil is exported, but the export proceeds are not kept in Indonesia. Our coal is sold and exported, but the export proceeds are not kept in Indonesia,” Prabowo said during a speech at the Handover of Administrative Fines and Forest Area Land at the Attorney General’s Office in Jakarta on Wednesday. Therefore, his administration is mandating the storage of Export Proceeds from Natural Resources (DHE SDA) domestically through Government Regulation (PP) Number 8 of 2025 on the Obligation to Store Export Proceeds from Natural Resources in the Country. According to the President, without such a rule, the nation’s wealth would simply be sold off without adding value to the country. Prabowo stated that everything is exported, but the proceeds never return to the country. This is what prompted the government to introduce the policy requiring the mandatory storage of DHE up to downstream processing. “It is heavy for us to implement this boldly and optimistically, and with progress. I won’t elaborate at length, but this is all proof to the people, and I think in the coming days, we will continue to provide proof to the people and report the steps we take,” he emphasised. The President wants to make Indonesia rise in a way that shocks the world with the nation’s achievements. “We will prove it to the people by next year; I think the world will be shocked by the rise of the Indonesian nation. We must not be euphoric; we must not be arrogant. The wisdom of our ancestors: the more full we are, the more we bow our heads. Do not be afraid of threats, do not be afraid of insults, do not be afraid of slander. We are feared because we uphold truth and justice,” he said. ANTARA’s data search indicates that Indonesia’s national palm oil export value in 2025 is around $35.87 billion or approximately Rp590 trillion, up about 29.23 percent from 2024, which was $27.76 billion. That figure is down about 19.7 percent compared to 2024, which reached around $30.49 billion. From the volume perspective, Indonesia’s coal exports reached about 390.9 million tonnes in 2025, also down about 3.6 percent from the previous year.