Jakarta, Aug. 5 -- Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman hailed palm oil downstreaming as a "strategic weapon" to boost Indonesia's exports, following a 7.32 percent growth in crude palm oil (CPO) and derivative export values in the first half of 2026.

Speaking in Jakarta on Tuesday (August 4), Amran underscored Indonesia's market dominance alongside neighboring Malaysia, pointing out that the two nations jointly control approximately 80 percent of global CPO production.

"We are number one in the world. CPO downstreaming is a strategic weapon for Indonesia," he noted.

The minister emphasized that strengthening agricultural exports must continue through increased added value and industrial processing, to deliver greater benefits to t...