Indonesia's September Fats and Oils Exports Jump 89%; HS 15 Is Not Palm Oil Alone

Jakarta — Indonesia's exports in the animal or vegetable fats and oils category (HS 15) reached US$4.43 billion in September 2026, up 89.04% from a year earlier, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) figures released on 2 November. BPS also identified higher palm oil exports as a contributor to manufacturing export growth. The two statements should not be conflated: HS 15 includes oils and fats other than palm oil.

What the HS 15 figures actually measure

The BPS trade table puts September exports in the category at US$4,433.2 million, against US$2,345.2 million in September 2025. The value was 11.57% higher than August 2026's US$3,973.6 million. These are free-on-board export values in US dollars; they do not measure tonnes of oil shipped.

For January–September, HS 15 exports totalled US$29,576.4 million, up 16.57% from US$25,371.5 million a year earlier. The category accounted for 13.93% of cumulative non-oil-and-gas exports in the BPS table. Its US$4,204.9 million annual increase was the largest among the ten major non-oil-and-gas commodity groups listed in the report.

The two-digit customs grouping does not isolate crude palm oil or its derivatives. It is therefore inaccurate to describe the full HS 15 value as palm oil exports, or to treat the 89.04% increase as a change in palm oil export volume. More detailed commodity data would be needed to quantify palm oil alone.

Where palm oil enters the manufacturing story

BPS reported that manufactured-goods exports grew 16.78% year on year in September, supported in part by increased palm oil exports. Total manufacturing exports came to US$23,271.6 million, while total non-oil-and-gas exports were US$26,639.8 million. The report identifies palm oil as a contributor but does not assign it a precise share of manufacturing's growth in the cited industry table.

Overall Indonesian exports reached US$27,591.5 million in September, up 11.87% year on year; non-oil-and-gas exports rose 12.39%. Kompas, reporting on the same BPS release, likewise highlighted growth in the fats and oils category and palm oil's contribution to the manufacturing sector. The broad customs category and the narrower sector narrative answer different questions.

What it means for Indonesia

The new BPS figures show a sharp rise in the dollar value of a category that includes palm oil, with BPS explicitly citing higher palm oil exports as one manufacturing driver. This is relevant to Indonesia's export earnings, but it is not evidence that the tonnage of palm oil exports increased at the same rate. A rise in export value alone cannot distinguish changes in quantity, price or product mix.

For context, GAPKI's latest monthly industry statement found on its industry-performance page covers August 2026: it recorded 3.588 million tonnes of palm products exported and end-month stocks of 2.214 million tonnes. Those August volume and stock figures cannot be directly compared with BPS's September dollar-value figure for HS 15. Nor can the September BPS table establish that month's palm oil production, biodiesel-sector consumption or ending stocks. A September industry balance would be needed to assess those measures on a matching period.