The government says the approvals for the five plants – un-named, but located in Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria – are a boost for Australia’s trade relationship with Indonesia, where more high-quality Australian halal red meat will now be available.
Business
Indonesia’s trade surplus of $3.32 billion in March was larger than expected, despite a contraction in exports, as imports grew less than anticipated amid a weaker rupiah currency and Islamic holidays, official data showed on Monday.
Indonesia is exploring the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for household cooking, part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on imported energy and ease pressure on state subsidies.
Indonesia has picked Bali as the location for its upcoming international financial centre, as its senior officials recently checked out the province during the long weekend.
Most of Australia’s trade – about 83 per cent of seaborne imports and 90 per cent of exports – currently passes through Indonesian sea lanes and waterways, including parts of the Malacca Strait.
Indonesia’s crude palm oil output this year may drop by up to 2 million metric tons compared to 2025 due to El Nino-related dry weather and high fertiliser prices driven by the war in Middle East, the head of the country’s palm oil producer association said on Wednesday.
Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman revealed that four countries have requested Indonesia’s urea fertilizer, with total demand reaching at least 750 thousand tons, amid global supply chain disruptions, including Australia.
A wide gap has emerged between import costs and the government’s cattle price cap, with Australian feeder cattle priced at Rp 81,658 per kg, roughly 40% above the official benchmark, raising the risk of beef inflation in Greater Jakarta.
An Australian-funded project in Indonesia is working with farmers to prevent the world’s worst citrus disease from spreading to Australia.
While Indonesia’s current policy framework signals a robust commitment to establishing an AI-driven economy, there is a glaring disparity in its focus.
During a symposium in Jakarta, the Finance Minister, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said President Prabowo Subianto views the current situation as requiring the country to optimize all resources to sustain maximum economic growth, rather than adopting a business-as-usual approach.
The world’s largest purpose-built live export ship sailed out of Darwin last night, with more than 17,000 head of cattle onboard bound for Indonesia.
Bank Indonesia is scheduled to officially launch cross-border Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard connectivity with China on April 30, following a successful trial period that generated transactions worth hundreds of billions of rupiah.
Jakarta-listed Adaro Andalan Indonesia—a coal mining company backed by Indonesian billionaire Garibaldi Thohir—and partner Hong Kong-based private equity firm EMR Capital are selling their controlling interest in Australian coal miner Kestrel Coal to Chinese state-linked Yancoal Australia for up to US$2.4 billion.
The Indonesian government, through state-run oil and gas firm Pertamina, raised the prices of non-subsidised LPG products, increasing 12 kilogram cylinders by 18.75 percent from Rp192,000 to Rp228,000 (around US$13.30 per cylinder).
Indonesia’s economic growth is projected at 5% in 2026, slightly lower than the IMF’s January 2026 estimate of 5.1%. Growth is expected to recover to 5.1% in 2027 and stabilize at 5.2% in the following years.
