Information about a possible reduction in palm oil exports from Indonesia to the USA due to the potential introduction of a 32% duty by the American side was disclosed in an interview to Reuters by Hadi Sugeng, the head of the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (GAPKI) on Tuesday.
According to Hadi, in the event of the mentioned duties being imposed, Indonesian palm oil exports to the USA could decrease by 15-20%, which represents a significant portion of the total export volume in the considered direction, which has averaged 2.25 million tons per year for the last three years.
In Hadi's opinion, a decrease in the competitiveness of palm oil compared to alternatives such as soybean and rapeseed oil may occur, especially if producers of other vegetable oils receive more favorable conditions in the form of lower duties.
The share of Indonesian palm oil, which accounts for 85% of all imports of this product in the USA, also risks being replaced by Malaysian palm oil, which enjoys more favorable tariff conditions.
In total, in 2024, the volume of palm oil product exports from Indonesia amounted to 29.5 million tons. According to forecasts, the country planned to increase palm oil exports by 1 million tons by this year, reaching 25 million tons.