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Greasy Palms: European buyers of Indonesian palm oil
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Greasy Palms:
European buyers of
Indonesian palm oil
Greasy Palms:
European buyers of
Indonesian palm oil
March 2004
Jan Willem van Gelder
Profundo
De Bloemen 24
1902 GV Castricum
The Netherlands
Tel: +31-251-658385
Fax: +31-251-658386
E-mail: vangelder@profundo.nl
Contents
About this report 1

Chapter 1 The global oil palm sector 2
1.1 History of the cultivation of oil palms 2
1.2 The global oil palm production chain 3
1.2.1 Oil palm plantations 4
1.2.2 Crude palm oil mills 4
1.2.3 Palm kernel crushing plants 4
1.2.4 Palm oil and palm kernel oil refineries 5
1.2.5 Manufacturers of margarine, shortenings and fats 6
1.2.6 Oleochemical industries 7
1.2.7 Final processing industries 10
1.3 Global palm oil production 11
1.4 Global usage of oil palm products 13
1.4.1 Global palm oil usage 13
1.4.2 Global palm kernel oil usage 14
1.4.3 Global usage of edible oils 15
1.4.4 Global palm kernel meal usage 15
1.4.5 Global usage of oil meals 16
1.5 World market prices for oil palm products 17
Chapter 2 The Indonesian oil palm sector 18
2.1 Historical development of the Indonesian oil palm sector 18
2.1.1 1848-1945: Colonial development 18
2.1.2 1945-1968: Post-colonial decline 18
2.1.3 1968-1985: First expansion phase 18
2.1.4 1985-1998: Second expansion phase 19
2.1.5 1998-2002: Investment pause 22
2.1.6 Since 2002: Renewed expansion 27
2.2 Export markets for the Indonesian oil palm sector 29
2.2.1 Introduction 29
2.2.2 Palm oil export markets 29
2.2.3 Palm kernel oil export markets 30
2.2.4 Palm kernel meal export markets 31
2.3 Business groups in the Indonesian oil palm sector 31
2.3.1 Oil palm plantations and CPO mills 31
2.3.2 Palm kernel crushing plants 37
2.3.3 Palm oil and palm kernel oil refineries 38
2.3.4 Manufacturers of margarine, shortenings and fats 41
2.3.5 Oleochemical companies 42
2.3.6 Ports, storage and transport companies 43
Chapter 3 The European Union market for oil palm products 46
3.1 Usage of oil palm products in the European Union 46
3.1.1 EU palm oil imports 46
3.1.2 EU palm kernel oil imports 47
3.1.3 Edible oils usage in the European Union 48
3.1.4 EU palm kernel meal imports 49
3.2 Sectors in the EU oil palm production chain 50
3.2.1 International edible oil trading sector 50
3.2.2 Edible oil transport and storage sector 51
3.2.3 Oilseed crushing and refining industry 51
3.2.4 Oil packing sector 51
3.2.5 Margarine and spreads industry 52
3.2.6 Biscuit, chocolate and confectionery industry 52
3.2.7 Snacks, chips and crisps industry 52
3.2.8 Soap, detergents and cosmetics industries 53
About this report
The international trade in palm oil is a key driver of rainforest destruction and human rights
abuses on a massive scale.
This report is one of two research projects undertaken for Friends of the Earth in 2003 into
the impacts of the palm oil industry in South East Asia, its links to the European market and
the involvement of European companies in the palm oil trade. Chapters 1 – 3 of this report
(examining the growth of the European market for oil palm and the Indonesian export
market) are printed here. Chapters 4 – 6 (focusing on the palm oil market in UK, the
Netherlands and Sweden) are available on request from Friends of the Earth.
Research methodology into the impacts of palm oil included monitoring reports compiled by
the Indonesian non-governmental organisation (NGO) SawitWatch and interviews with
community members and local activists. The SawitWatch data had been gathered over a
period of five years, based on field investigations, meetings with local community members,
media reports and regular monitoring. The analysis of the European market focused
particularly on the companies trading in palm oil in the UK, the Netherlands and Sweden as
well as giving a general overview of the trade in oil palm and the growth of the European
market.
This research is available in two reports:

- Greasy palms: the social and ecological impacts of large-scale oil palm plantation
development in South East Asia (original research: Eric Wakker, AIDEnvironment)
- Greasy palms: European buyers of Indonesian palm oil (original research: Jan Willem van
Gelder, Profundo)
A summary of the two research reports, Greasy Palms – palm oil, the environment and big
business (Friends of the Earth, 2004) is also available.
These reports can be obtained from Friends of the Earth, 26 – 28 Underwood Street, London
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555 or downloaded at
www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/greasy_palms_buyers.pdf [chapters 4 - 6 available on
request]
www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/greasy_palms_impacts.pdf
www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/palm_oil_summary.pdf
Acknowledgements
The author of this report wishes to thank Ed Matthew, Robin Webster, Simon McRae and
other staff at Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland for commissioning
this report. Thanks to Maria Rydlund of Svenska Naturskyddsföreningen for commissioning
the chapter on Sweden and to Myrthe Verweij of Milieudefensie for commissioning some
additional research on financial institutions.
Acknowledgements to Eric Wakker of AIDEnvironment for his valuable inputs.
-1-
Chapter 1 The global oil palm sector
1.1 History of the cultivation of oil palms
The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) originates from the coastal regions of West Africa, where it
was mainly grown along rivers. Palm oil is presumed to have formed part of the diet in large
parts of Africa well before our written history began. Evidence of palm oil has been found at
archaeological digs in Egypt, dating from 3,000 BC, which seems to indicate that it was
already traded on the African continent at that time.
The Portuguese discovered the crop during their expeditions to West Africa in the 15th
century, and palm oil later became a basic part of the food on board of slave ships.
Small-scale growers in Central and West Africa began to export their products to Liverpool
and Marseilles in the late 18th century. The industrial revolution created a much larger
demand for palm oil, which was used at the time to make candles and as a lubricant for
machines.
A big boost to the trade was given by the anti-slavery legislation in the first part of the 19th
century. The transportation of slaves from West Africa to North & South America and the
Caribbean had been a lucrative trade for British shipping, and they needed an alternative.
The trade in palm oil increased by leaps and bounds. Barrels were put together in Africa,
taken to the villages, filled with oil and paddled in canoes to the port.
Towards the end of the 19th century the first plantations were established by the colonial
powers in Africa (United Kingdom, Belgium) to increase output.1
Historical development of global oil palm production

30,000
25,000
20,000
Production (1,000 MT)
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004
Years
Nigeria Malaysia Indonesia Other countries
Figure 1. Historical development of the global palm oil production 1970-2004

At the beginning of the 20th century the first oil palm plantations were established in Asia. The
Dutch colonial rulers started commercial exploitation in Sumatra after 1910 and British
-2-
traders established plantations in Malaysia in the 1920s. Right from the beginning it was
used as an export crop in these countries, so that quality control and bulk handling systems
were initiated.
Growth was slow, however, until the late 1950s, when Malaysia decided to diversify
significantly away from rubber, the principal export crop. Declining world rubber prices
contributed to this decision, but also the need to settle landless people and the ambition to
open up forest areas to fight communist movements. A principal agent of this development
was the government Federal Land Development Agency (FELDA) which undertook forest
clearance and the settling of smallholders.2
As shown in Figure 1, Malaysia surpassed Nigeria as the most important palm oil producing
country in the world in the early-1970s. At present Malaysia accounts for half of global palm
oil production. At the end of the 1960s Indonesia started to follow the Malaysian example, but
only since the mid-1980s has the sector really expanded. At the moment Indonesian oil palm
production is approaching that of Malaysia. As oil palm production in Africa is largely
stagnating and the oil palm sector in Latin America is still underdeveloped, the two Asian
countries dominate world production at present (see Table 3). 3
The continuing expansion of the Indonesian oil palm sector will be described in more detail in
Chapter 2.
1.2 The global oil palm production chain
At present the production and usage of palm oil is no longer confined to a specific
geographic region or a limited number of end-products. Large quantities of palm oil are
consumed all over the world, as ingredients of numerous products manufactured by a large
number of industries.
Oil palm plantation
Fresh fruit bunches
Crude Palm Oil (CPO) CPO mill Palm kernels
Refinery Crushing plant
Crude Palm Kernel Meal

Refined, Bleached and Palm Kernel Oil (PKM)
Deodorized Palm Oil (PKO)
(RBDPO)
Oleochemical plant
Refinery
Refinery
Fatty acids, RBD PKO

fatty alcohols,
RBD Olein RBD Stearin esters, glycerine,
a.o.
Food industry Detergent and cosmetics industry Chemical and other industries Animal feed industry
Figure 2. Overview of the oil palm production chain
-3-
To supply oil palm and its derived ingredients to these industries and their customers, an
integrated, global oil palm production chain has developed over the years. Figure 2 gives a
schematic overview of this global oil palm production chain, from the plantation to the end-
consumer. The principal stages in the global oil palm production chain, as shown in Figure 2,
will be described in the following paragraphs.
1.2.1 Oil palm plantations
The oil palm requires a wet tropical climate with temperatures between 24 and 32 oC
throughout the year. This means its growth is generally limited to latitudes of approximately
ten degrees north and south of the equator, at altitudes below 700 meters.4
The oil palm tree reaches maturity in three to four years, when it is about 2 meters high.
Thereafter it continues to grow by another 70 centimetres per year and can reach a height of
more than 10 meters. Its economic life continues until it reaches the age of 20 to 25 years,
with peak production between the sixth and tenth year. 5
When the palm tree is mature, each year large bunches of palm fruits (the size of small
plums) grow in the armpits of the palm leaves. A so-called Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB) can
contain from 1,000 to 3,000 individual fruits, together weighing 10 to 20 kilograms. Every oil
palm tree produces several bunches per year. The fruit yield per hectare therefore is
enormous: 10 to 35 tonnes per hectare. 6
1.2.2 Crude palm oil mills

After harvesting, the Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) have to be processed within 24 hours, to
avoid the rapid build-up of free fatty acids in the harvested fruit. This means that the
processing mills have to be located close to the production sites, with every cluster of oil
palm plantations needing its own crude palm oil (CPO) mill.
The oil palm fruit looks like a plum. The outer fleshy mesocarp gives the palm oil, while the
kernel (which is inside a hard shell) gives palm kernel oil and palm kernel meal. In the CPO
mill, the flesh of the palm fruit is sterilised and mechanically separated from the kernel. The
kernel is shipped to a crushing plant, and the fruit is mechanically pressed to extract the
Crude Palm Oil (CPO), a yellow-red liquid. The CPO then is clarified and purified.7
The average recoverable palm oil content from fresh fruit bunches is about 20 percent, so
the CPO yield per hectare is about 2 to 7 tonnes. In Indonesia the average CPO yield in
recent years has been 3.2 tonnes per hectare. This is much higher than any other oil crop in
the world, the average oil yield for soybeans is only 0.5 tonnes per hectare.8
The residues of the FFB (70% of the gross yield) are used as fuel and for mulching. 9
1.2.3 Palm kernel crushing plants

The palm kernels are crushed in crushing plants, which can be located in either in producer
or consumer countries. These are either dedicated palm kernel crushing plants or general
oilseed crushing plants which also process soybeans and other oilseeds. 10
The crushing process yields two products: 45% palm kernel oil (PKO) and 55% palm kernel
meal (PKM). One hectare of oil palms therefore yields three different basic products: CPO
(3.2 tonnes per hectare), PKO (0.34 tonnes per hectare), and PKM (0.42 tonnes per
hectare). These figures are recent yield-figures for the Indonesian palm oil sector.11
The chemical composition of palm kernel oil is very different from the composition of palm oil.
Palm oil contains mainly palmitic and oleic acids and is about 50% saturated, while palm
kernel oil contains mainly lauric and myristic acids and is around 82% saturated (see Table
1).
-4-
The high content of lauric acid gives palm kernel oil its sharp melting properties, meaning
hardness at room temperature combined with a low melting point (just above room
temperature). This makes palm kernel oil very well suited as shortening in pastry and to
replace cacao butter. Palm kernel oil does not become rancid quickly and can be stored at
room temperature, ensuring that pastry and confectionery have a longer shelf life. But once
consumed, it melts in your mouth directly.
Only palm kernel oil and coconut oil have such a high content of lauric acid - other edible oils
usually have less than 1%. For this reason palm kernel oil and coconut oil, the lauric oils, are
generally more expensive than other edible oils.12
Table 1 Composition of palm oil and palm kernel oil 13

Fatty acid C-atoms Saturation Palm oil Palm kernel oil
Caprylic acid 8 Saturated 0% 1%
Capric acid 10 Saturated 0% 3%
Lauric acid 12 Saturated 0% 51%
Myristic acid 14 Saturated 1% 18%
Palmitic acid 16 Saturated 43% 9%
Stearic acid 18 Saturated 5% 2%
Oleic acid 18 Mono-unsaturated 39% 15%
Linoleic acid 18 Poly-unsaturated 11% 0%
Linolenic acid 18 Poly-unsaturated 0% 1%
Total 100% 100%
1.2.4 Palm oil and palm kernel oil refineries

Most of the crude palm oil as well as most of the crude palm kernel oil is processed further in
refineries, which can be located either in producer or consumer countries. The primary
processes undertaken in a refinery are:14
• Neutralisation (also called degumming): Crude oil must be neutralised to remove any
'free' fatty acids (those which may have broken away from the triglyceride molecule)
which, with time, would otherwise react with oxygen and cause the oil to develop a rancid
taste. The neutralised oil is washed and dried thoroughly as a high moisture content would
also cause deterioration of the oil;
• Bleaching: Colour and impurities are removed by bleaching the oil with a special
absorbent earth. The earth is carefully filtered out to leave the oil clear;
• Deodorizing: Deodorisation removes any smell and taste in the oil. This is achieved by
blowing steam though the heated oil and a vacuum draws off the steam along with the
smell and taste.
Through these processes, CPO is processed into refined, bleached and deodorized palm oil
(RBDPO). RBDPO is a light yellow liquid or semi-solid at room temperature, melting to a
clear yellow liquid on slightly heating. RBDPO is used as an industrial frying oil to produce
chips, crisps, instant noodles, and other snack foods. It is also used to produce margarines,
shortenings, ice cream, condensed milk, vanaspati, soap and other products.
A secondary process undertaken in most palm oil refineries is the fractionating of refined
palm oil. This means that the palm oil is cooled under controlled conditions, separating the
-5-
high melting point triglycerides in the oil from the low melting point triglycerides. This yields
two separate products:15
• RBD palm olein: a clear yellow liquid at room temperature;

• RBD palm stearin: a white solid at room temperature, melting to a clear yellow liquid on
heating.
The chemical composition of both products is comparable to that of palm oil (see Table 1),
but olein contains more oleic acid and less palmitic acid, while stearin contains more palmitic
acid and less oleic and linoleic acid. 16
Both fractions are used for different end-products:17
• In its pure form, RBD palm olein is sold as cooking oil. RBD palm olein is also used in the
manufacture of margarine and shortenings and in industrial frying of processed foods like
potato chips, chips, instant noodles and other snack foods.
• RBD palm stearin is used in for margarine and shortenings and as a source for producing
specialty fats for coating in confectionery. It's also used in the soap and oleochemical
industries.
The refining of crude palm kernel oil follows the same pattern. First crude palm kernel oil is
processed into refined, bleached and deodorized palm kernel oil (RBDPKO), which is used
mainly in soap, detergents and cosmetics as well as in margarine and shortenings.
Part of the RBD palm kernel oil is fractionated into a solid and a liquid component. RBD palm
kernel olein is a light coloured oil. It can be used as cooking oil or as a base oil for the
manufacturing of margarine. RBD palm kernel olein has excellent keeping qualities and is
therefore often used in the commercial frying of nuts, roasting of popcorns, candy making
and cracker spraying. The hydrogenated product is also used to replace milk fat in ice cream
making. Its industrial application includes the production of soaps, shampoo, detergents,
cosmetics and lubricants. 18
1.2.5 Manufacturers of margarine, shortenings and fats
Manufacturers of margarine and speciality fats further process refined palm oil and refined
palm kernel oil, to produce margarine, frying fats and spreads for the consumer market and
industrial margarines, frying fats, shortenings, cocoa butter substitutes, and other food
ingredients for the bakery, chocolate, confectionery, ice-cream, snacks and biscuits
industries. Often these type of companies are integrated with edible oil refineries, which
makes it difficult to make clear distinctions.
Manufacturers of margarine and speciality fats modify and combine various kinds of refined
edible oils, to achieve an oil- or fat-mixture with the desired texture, consistency and other
physical and chemical properties. These modifications are done using various techniques:19
• Fractionation: see paragraph 1.2.4;
• Hydrogenation: Adding hydrogen to unsaturated fatty acids to create saturated fats with
a higher melting point. This process is often called hardening.
• Rearrangement: Combining two different oils to produce a fat with different melting
characteristics.
With these techniques specific oil- or fat-blends can be created, which eventually can be
mixed with oil-soluble ingredients such as vitamins, colours, flavour and emulsifiers. Some of
these oil- or fat-blends are used as ingredients in all kinds of food industries.
-6-
Other oil- or fat-blends are mixed with water (in which whey, brine, milk proteins and starches
are dissolved) at temperatures of 50°C - 60°C. After pasteurisation, the blend is carefully
chilled under constant agitation to form a water-in-oil emulsion. This process generates
various types of margarines and spreads, sold both to consumers and to other food
industries.
1.2.6 Oleochemical industries

The oleochemical industry uses edible oils to produce oleochemicals, such as fatty acids,
fatty alcohols, glycerine and methylesters. Oleochemicals are used in the manufacture of
such products as foods and specialty fats, soaps and detergents, cosmetics and personal
care products, lubricants and greases, drying oil, surface coatings and polymers, and
biofuels (see Table 2). 20
Similar chemicals may be synthesized from crude oil, but then they are classified as
petrochemicals. The advantages of using oleochemicals over using comparable
petrochemicals are:
• oleochemicals are derived from renewable resources;
• oleochemicals are more readily biodegradable;
• the production of petrochemicals uses more energy and causes greater emission of
pollutants.
-7-
Table 2 Applications of oleochemicals 21
Industry/Product Uses
Leather Softening, dressing, polishing and treating agents
Metal Work & Foundry Cutting oils, coolants, buffing and polishing compounds
Mining Surface-active agents for froth floatation of ore and oil-well drilling
Rubber Vulcanising agents, softeners and mould-release agents
Electronics Insulation and special-purpose plastic components
Lubricants and Hydraulic General and specialty industrial lubricants and biodegradable
Fluids base oils, hydraulic fluids
Paints and Coatings Alkyd and other resins, drying oils, varnishes and other protective
coatings
Printing and Paper Re- Printing inks, paper coatings, photographic printing, de-inking
cycling surfactants
Plastics Stabilizers, plasticizers, mould-release agents, lubricants, anti-
static agents, antifogging aids, polymerisation emulsifiers
Biofuels Methyl esters and alcohols
Waxes Ingredients in waxes and polishes
Soaps & Detergents Industrial and domestic products, specialty surfactants
Health & Personal Care Culture media, tabletting aids, soaps, shampoos, creams, lotions
Food Emulsifiers, confectionery and specialty fats for bread, cakes,
pastries, margarine, ice-cream and other food products
Animal Feeds Nutritional supplements
Until 1985 the oleochemical industry was mainly located in Northern America, Japan and
Europe and the main edible oils used were coconut oil (for C12 and C14 fatty acids) and
tallow (for C16 and C18 fatty acids). Since then, palm kernel oil (for C12 and C14 fatty acids)
and palm oil (for C16 and C18 fatty acids) have become the main feedstocks for the global
oleochemical industry. This is caused by the limited growth in global tallow and coconut oil
production, lower costs of oil palm products and the convenience in using two products from
the same supplier.
At the same time the strongest growth in basic oleochemical production capacity took place
in Malaysia and - to a lesser extent - Indonesia and other ASEAN-countries. In 2000 the
global production volume of basic oleochemicals amounted to 6.3 million tons of which 2.3
million tons (36%) were produced in the ASEAN-countries.22
It is generally estimated that 14% of global edible oil production is processed by the
oleochemical industry.23 For palm oil and especially palm kernel oil this percentage might be
much higher.
Unlike refineries, oleochemical plants break down palm oil and palm kernel oil into their
chemical components. All edible oils and fats are composed of molecules called
triacylglycerols or triglycerides. These molecules consist of a glycerol molecule to which are
attached three fatty acids, usually of different types. The primary process in the oleochemical
industry therefore is to break up the triacylglycerols in separate fatty acids as well as
glycerine (see Figure 3). 24
-8-
Palm Oil / Palm Kernel Oil
Splitting Methanolysis
Crude Fatty Methyl Esters

Evaporation, Purification or Bleaching
Distillation
Glycerol / Glycerine Crude Fatty Acids
Fractionation Distillation Hydrogenation
Esterification Esterification Distilled Hydrogenated

Fatty Acids Fatty Acids
Distillation Distillation
Neutralization Distillation
Distilled Distilled Fractionated

Fatty Fractionated Fatty Acids Soap Distilled,
Esters Fatty Esters C12, 14, 16, 18 Hydrogenated
Fatty Acids
Distilled Fatty Methyl Esters
Hydrogenation Amidation Sulphonation
Fatty Alcohols
Fractionation Ethoxylation
Fractionated Fatty Alcohol Fatty Alcohol Methyl Ester

Fatty Amide Ethoxylate Amide Sulfonate
Alcohols
Figure 3. Basic oleochemicals (bold) and downstream oleochemicals and derivatives (italics)
Some additional information regarding the uses of these different types of oleochemicals:
• Glycerine: Glycerine is used in pharmaceuticals, perfumery, food emulsifiers, cigarettes,

alkyd resins, cellophane, dynamite, ester gums, toothpaste, polyurethane and polyols.
-9-
• Fatty acids: Fatty acids are used in the cosmetics industry on a large scale. Fatty acids
derived from palm kernel oil are often used in hair cosmetics, while fatty acids derived
from palm oil are often used in skin cosmetics (see Table 1).25
• Fatty alcohols: Fatty alcohols are used on a large scale to produce surfactants. A
surfactant is a material that can greatly reduce the surface tension of water when used in
very low concentrations. Because of this property surfactants are used as detergents in
laundry and household cleaning products, as foaming agents in the production of plastics
or as emulsifier in the production of cosmetics, margarine and other food products.
The best-known surfactant is ordinary soap, which is always made from vegetable oils.
Palm kernel oil is most commonly used and to a lesser extent coconut oil. (To produce
normal soap, these oils do not have to be processed in an oleochemical way).26
But besides soap there are several other types of surfactants. The intermediate products
used in the production of 80% of all surfactants (except for soap) are fatty alcohols, which
can be produced from lauric oils (palm kernel oil or coconut oil) or from mineral oil. Total
global surfactant capacity using oleochemical feedstocks is about 1.01 million metric tons,
almost equal to the 1.10 million metric tons capacity using petrochemical feedstocks. 27
1.2.7 Final processing industries
Oil palm products are being used to process a broad range of final products in a number of
industrial sectors: 28
• Food industry
Palm oil is valued by the food industry for its competitive price compared to other oils and
fats, its nutritional advantages over other fats and the fact that it contains hardly any
cholesterol. Ingredients derived from palm oil are used in margarine, frying fat,
shortenings, mayonnaise, sauces, salad oil, potato chips, crisps, instant noodles, snacks,
biscuits, bread, cakes, pastry, chocolate, confectionaries, ice cream, coffee whitener and
many other food products.
Palm kernel oil and its hydrogenated and fractionated products are widely used either
alone or in blends with other oils for biscuit doughs and filling creams, cake icings, ice-
cream, imitation whipping cream, coffee whiteners, substitute chocolate and other
coatings, sharp-melting margarines, et cetera. 29
Oleochemical ingredients derived from palm oil and palm kernel oil are used on as
emulsifiers for the production of margarine and other food products.
• Soap and detergents industry
Lauric oils (palm kernel oil and coconut oil) are indispensable in soap making. Good soap
must contain at least 15% lauric oils for quick lathering, while soap made for use in sea
water is based on virtually 100% lauric oils. Lauric oils also confer hardness, solubility and
a feel of quality to soap. Coconut oil has been the traditional fat for this application but is
increasingly substituted by palm kernel oil. 30
Palm oil is still used to make soap as well, but on a declining scale.
Oleochemical ingredients derived from palm oil and palm kernel oil are used on a large
scale for the production of detergents, personal care products and household care
products.
-10-
• Cosmetics industry
Palm oil has the advantage of being more easily absorbed by the skin than other oils, so it
is found in beauty creams, lotions, shampoo, lipsticks, et cetera.
Oleochemical ingredients derived from palm oil and palm kernel oil are used on a large
scale for the production of cosmetics.
• Leather and textile industry
Palm oil is used for greasing and softening leather. In the textile industry it is used as a
lubricant, since it has the advantage of being easier to remove than mineral oil.
Oleochemical ingredients are also used in various applications.
• Metal industry
Palm oil is used on a large scale for cold rolling of thin metal sheet, and sharpening and
polishing special steels.
• Chemical industry
Oleochemical ingredients derived from palm oil and palm kernel oil are used for the
production of plasticizers and as additives to plastics, rubber and textiles. They are also
used in the production of paint and surface coatings.
• Compound feed industry
All palm kernel meal is processed and blended into compound feed for the livestock
industry. Its high carotene content also makes palm oil an inexpensive source of vitamins
in animal feed.
• Other industries
Palm oil is also used as a substrate for cultivating yeast, as a lubricant additive, as a
component in ski wax and printing ink, to make candles, et cetera.
Palm kernel oil is an ingredient for insecticides and fungicides, hydraulic brake fluids, and
substances used in the electronics industry.
1.3 Global palm oil production
Commercial cultivation of oil palms is only possible in low-land areas near the equator, i.e. in
Northern Latin America, Central Africa and South Asia. Among these regions, the position of
South East Asia has been very dominant for the past decades. Malaysia and Indonesia
together account for a staggering 84% of global output and Thailand and Papua New Guinea
add another 3%. Countries in Africa (Nigeria, Ivory Coast) and Latin America (Colombia,
Ecuador) play a far more modest role as shown in Table 3.
-11-
Table 3 Crude Palm Oil (CPO) production by country (in 1,000 MT) 31
Country 1995 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Growth Share
Malaysia 7,811 8,315 10,553 10,840 11,804 11,908 52% 48%
Indonesia 4,220 5,361 6,250 7,050 8,030 9,020 114% 36%
Nigeria 660 690 720 740 770 775 17% 3%
Thailand 354 475 560 525 620 590 67% 2%
Colombia 388 424 501 524 548 528 36% 2%
Papua New Guinea 223 210 264 336 329 318 43% 1%
Ivory Coast 285 269 264 278 220 240 -16% 1%
Ecuador 180 199 263 222 201 217 21% 1%
Others 1,089 1,211 1,250 1,359 1,399 1,437 32% 6%
World total 15,210 17,154 20,625 21,874 23,921 25,033 65% 100%
Global palm oil production has increased by as much as 65% since 1995. But Indonesian
palm oil output is growing even stronger (114%) and its global market share has increased
from 28% to 36% in the past seven years. Malaysia, on the other hand, has seen its market
share gradually decrease in the past seven years from 51% to 48%.
-12-
1.4 Global usage of oil palm products
1.4.1 Global palm oil usage

Global palm oil usage has increased by 70% since 1995. Figures on the main palm oil
consuming countries and regions are listed in Table 4. It is important to note that the usage
figures in this table refer to the countries and regions in which the palm oil processing
industries are located. The products of these processing industries (margarine,
confectionery, soap, cosmetics, etcetera) can of course be exported to end-users in other
countries and regions. The actual geographical spread of the end-usage of palm oil therefore
will differ somewhat from these figures.
As shown in Table 4, most of the major oil palm growing countries (Indonesia, Malaysia,
Nigeria, Thailand, Colombia) are important palm oil users as well. But their market share is
declining as their growth in usage is slower than the global average. Despite a usage growth
of 36% in the past seven years, Indonesia has lost its position as the largest oil palm market
in the world and has fallen back to third place behind India and the European Union.
With a growth in usage of 369% over the past seven years, India has overtaken Indonesia as
the largest oil palm market in the world and now accounts for 14% of global usage. On its
own, India accounts for 27% of global usage growth over the past seven years. However,
this growth was mostly achieved in the late-1990s; since 2000 the growth of the Indian
market has stagnated.
Table 4 Palm oil usage by country/region (in 1,000 MT) 32

Country/region 1995 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Growth Share
India 757 1,817 2,997 3,623 3,620 3,552 369% 14%
EU 1,689 2,051 2,168 2,368 2,855 3,211 90% 13%
Indonesia 2,160 2,810 2,960 2,977 2,857 2,933 36% 12%
China 1,294 1,549 1,407 1,618 2,145 2,500 93% 10%
Pakistan 1,157 1,129 1,062 1,117 1,240 1,337 16% 5%
Malaysia 1,098 985 1,231 1,386 1,474 1,186 8% 5%
Nigeria 725 776 776 845 891 972 34% 4%
Thailand 414 443 445 484 499 483 17% 2%
Egypt 400 409 409 438 473 467 17% 2%
Former Soviet Union 61 121 129 205 373 459 652% 2%
Colombia 378 367 408 429 448 456 21% 2%
Bangladesh 91 114 89 194 376 430 372% 2%
Japan 350 359 364 371 392 415 19% 2%
Turkey 190 186 159 209 261 278 46% 1%
Other countries 3,946 4,547 4,889 5,325 5,838 6,273 59% 25%
Total 14,710 17,663 19,493 21,589 23,742 24,952 70% 100%
The opposite is the case for China and also for the countries in the Former Soviet Union and
Bangladesh: a spectacular growth has occurred especially since 2000. China now accounts
for 10% of global palm oil usage and is the fourth largest market in the world.
-13-
A much more gradual growth was apparent in the second largest palm oil market in the
world, the European Union. Growth in usage in the EU was nevertheless higher than the
global average, resulting in an increase in global market share from 11% to 13% in the past
seven years.
1.4.2 Global palm kernel oil usage
Global palm kernel oil (PKO) usage has increased by 59% since 1995, which is a lower
growth rate than that of global palm oil usage (70%). In volume terms, global PKO usage
decreased from 13% of global palm oil usage to 12%, because the extraction rate of palm oil
per FFB is increasing while the PKO extraction rate is more constant. The relative value of
global PKO usage compared with global CPO usage is generally somewhat higher, as PKO
prices are usually above CPO prices.
Figures on the main PKO consuming countries and regions are listed in Table 5. Again, it is
important to note that the usage figures in this table refer to the countries and regions in
which the oil palm processing industries are located. End-usage could be located elsewhere
as the products of these processing industries can be exported to end-users in other
countries and regions.
Table 5 Palm kernel oil usage by country/region (in 1,000 MT) 33

Malaysia 600 661 792 815 875 944 57% 31%
EU 317 385 501 465 430 545 72% 18%
Indonesia 110 108 76 158 199 222 102% 7%
Nigeria 176 178 187 189 201 201 14% 7%
United States 125 149 202 145 135 197 58% 6%
China 10 12 20 21 117 95 850% 3%
India 1 7 26 50 61 69 6800% 2%
Brazil 47 44 29 57 48 51 9% 2%
Mexico 15 16 45 43 44 51 240% 2%
Japan 53 52 53 51 50 50 -6% 2%
Turkey 44 38 45 51 50 50 14% 2%
Others 434 522 513 503 565 592 36% 19%
Total 1,932 2,172 2,489 2,548 2,775 3,067 59% 100%
As shown in Table 5, the major oil palm growing countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Nigeria) play
a much more important role as palm kernel oil consumers than they do as palm oil
consumers (see Table 4). Malaysia alone accounts for almost one-third of global palm kernel
oil usage. This dominance is mainly explained by the well-developed Malaysian oleochemical
industry, which processes PKO into soap, detergents and several intermediate products that
are largely exported to other countries. A similar kind of industry is developing (mainly with
Malaysian capital and technology) in Indonesia as well, which explains its strong growth
figures and its current position as third largest PKO market in the world.34
The second largest PKO market is still the European Union, which shows a gradual growth
level just above the global average. The global market share of the EU on the PKO market
(18%) is also significantly higher than its share of the global palm oil market (13%, see Table
4).
-14-
Although it has fallen back to fifth place in recent years the United States is still a significant
PKO market, although the country hardly consumes any palm oil. This is explained by the
strong soybean sector in the United States: the physical and chemical properties of soy oil
are very similar to those of palm oil, while PKO has different characteristics and is used in
different products.
As with the global oil palm market, China and India are important upcoming PKO markets, as
is Mexico.
1.4.3 Global usage of edible oils
Palm oil and PKO are competing on a global scale with a number of other edible oils
(vegetable and animal) in most markets. Each edible oil has different physical and chemical
properties, making it more suitable for specific products or applications. However, for many
products, one edible oil ingredient can easily be substituted for another, when availability and
price makes this attractive. For price and marketing reasons end-consumers can also switch
to comparable products (such as cooking oil), which are based upon another edible oil. For
these reasons it is relevant to compare global oil palm usage with the global usage of other
edible oils.
Table 6 Global usage of edible oils (in 1,000 MT) 35

Oil type 1995 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Growth Share
Soybean oil 19,436 23,601 24,489 25,139 27,350 29,912 54% 25%
Palm oil 14,710 17,663 19,493 21,589 23,742 24,952 70% 21%
Rapeseed oil 10,650 12,286 13,159 14,448 13,981 13,463 26% 11%
Sunflower oil 8,462 8,565 9,157 9,310 8,688 7,729 -9% 6%
Palm kernel oil 1,932 2,172 2,489 2,548 2,775 3,067 59% 3%
Other edible oils 37,248 38,805 39,570 40,142 41,449 42,121 13% 35%
Total 92,438 103,092 108,357 113,176 117,985 121,244 31% 100%
As Table 6 shows, palm oil has recently enforced its position as the second most important
edible oil when ranked by global usage. Since 1995 palm oil usage shows the strongest
growth of all edible oils and palm oil now holds a 21% share of the global edible oil market.
When the market share of palm kernel oil (3%) is added to that of palm oil, both oil palm
derived oils near the market share of market leader soybean oil (25%). Together palm oil and
palm kernel oil accounted for almost 40% of the global growth in the usage of edible oils
since 1995.
1.4.4 Global palm kernel meal usage
Global palm kernel meal (PKM) usage has increased by 56% since 1995. Palm kernel meal
is mostly used by the feedstock industry and therefore its geographical usage pattern differs
distinctively from those of palm oil and PKO (Table 4 and Table 5). Table 7 lists the main
consuming countries and regions for PKM.
-15-
Table 7 Palm kernel meal usage by region/country (in 1,000 MT) 36
EU 1,936 1,988 2,226 2,263 2,192 2,359 22% 64%
South Korea 17 264 205 210 266 308 1711% 8%
Nigeria 44 34 44 61 120 151 243% 4%
Indonesia 11 39 13 56 95 141 1182% 4%
Australia 15 15 17 19 20 92 513% 2%
Malaysia 9 23 54 63 57 90 900% 2%
Thailand 41 57 66 63 75 71 73% 2%
Colombia 36 43 50 54 59 58 61% 2%
Ecuador 22 27 35 30 27 31 41% 1%
Cameroon 23 26 28 29 29 30 30% 1%
Others 221 274 293 317 504 366 66% 10%
Total 2,375 2,790 3,031 3,165 3,444 3,697 56% 100%
Table 7 shows that the European Union is by far the largest PKM consuming region in the
world. But despite a growth in usage of 22% over the past seven years, its global market
share has decreased from 82% to 64%. A number of important oil palm growing countries
(Nigeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Colombia, Ecuador and Cameroon) are increasingly
consuming their own PKM production domestically. Some industrialized Australasian
countries, notably South Korea and Australia, are following the European example and are
importing PKM for their livestock industries.
1.4.5 Global usage of oil meals
Just as palm oil and PKO, PKM is also competing on the global market with other oil meals.
Global usage of oil meals increased by 28% since 1995, as is shown in Table 8.
Table 8 Global usage of oil meals (in 1,000 MT) 37

Soybean meal 88,022 102,070 107,106 110,140 120,298 128,847 46% 61%
Rapeseed meal 17,017 19,028 20,275 22,121 20,870 20,234 19% 10%
Cotton meal 15,037 15,320 15,029 14,592 15,281 15,852 5% 7%
Palm kernel meal 2,375 2,790 3,031 3,165 3,444 3,697 56% 2%
Other oil meals 43,601 44,586 45,127 46,746 44,711 43,791 0% 21%
Total 166,052 183,794 190,568 196,764 204,604 212,421 28% 100%
The global oil meals market is clearly dominated by soybean meal, which increased its
market share to 46%. The usage of palm kernel meal is growing faster than that of other oil
meals, but still only has a 2% market share on the global oil meals market.
Global compound feed production amounts to around 800 million tonnes annually, including
161 million tonnes of oil meals (20%).38
-16-
1.5 World market prices for oil palm products
Since the beginning of 2000 the CPO and PKO prices on the world market were very low.
This price trend was partly caused by the rapid expansion of CPO and PKO export from the
main producing countries, especially Malaysia and Indonesia.
Table 9 World market prices CPO and PKO 39

(in US$ per ton, CIF North West Europe)
Year CPO PKO
October 1992 - September 1993 387 439
October 2002 - April 2003 438 455
Because global demand is still increasing, CPO and PKO prices started to recover again
in 2002 and this year they are rising further.
800
700
600
500
U S$ / to n
CPO
400
PKO
300
200
100
0
1992- 1993- 1994- 1995- 1996- 1997- 1998- 1999- 2000- 2001- 2002-
93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03
Year
Figure 4. Development of the CPO and PKO prices in the past ten years
-17-
Chapter 2 The Indonesian oil palm sector
2.1 Historical development of the Indonesian oil palm sector
2.1.1 1848-1945: Colonial development

The development of the oil palm sector in South East Asia started in 1848, when four
seedlings were transported from Africa to the botanical garden in Buitenzorg (the present-
day Bogor) in Java, which was then under Dutch colonial control. The descendents of these
four palms were transferred to Deli in Sumatra, where they were first used for ornamental
purposes only. The first large-scale Indonesian oil palm plantation was set up by Dutch
traders in 1911, using the seed of these Deli-palms. Soon afterwards, British traders set up
oil palm plantations in Malaysia as well.40
Setting up state-owned oil palm plantations in Indonesia was made possible by the Agrarian
Law adopted by the colonial government in 1870, which declared all land not under
permanent cultivation to be ‘waste land’. Dutch developers were then offered as much land
as they needed on 75-year renewable leases at nominal rent. 41
Until the 1940s palm oil production developed at a moderate pace in both Malaysia and
Indonesia, as it was restricted mainly to use as a lubricant. A more rapid phase of expansion
began in Malaysia in the 1950s and 1960s, which turned Malaysia into the dominant oil palm
producer in the world. Final processing industries in the industrialized world discovered that
oil palm could be a cheap alternative to crude oil (for instance in detergents), to butter
(margarine), and to other edible oils. World demand for palm oil therefore increased
substantially. At the same time, global demand for rubber decreased, making it attractive to
turn rubber plantations into oil palm plantations. 42
2.1.2 1945-1968: Post-colonial decline
After Indonesia had gained independence in 1945 the plantation system partly collapsed as
Dutch plantation owners no longer had the backing of the colonial government and labour
migration was no longer undertaken with government assistance. Furthermore, president
Sukarno promoted an isolationist policy during the period (known as Guided Democracy),
antagonistic towards the entry of foreign capital or foreign loans. In 1957 the Dutch colonial
plantations were nationalized and placed under the control of the New State Plantation
Company (Perusahaan Perkebunan Negara Baru). Since then they suffered a period of
declining production. In 1967 the oil palm plantation sector covered no more than 106,000
hectares, including 65,573 hectares of state-owned plantations. 43
2.1.3 1968-1985: First expansion phase
From 1968, president Suharto started to invest again in the Indonesian oil palm sector by
making direct investment via state run companies called Perseroan Terbatas Perkebunan
(PTPs). During this period, the area planted with oil palm on government estates grew from
65,573 hectares in 1967 to 176,408 hectares in 1979. Most of these plantations were found
in Sumatra, primarily North Sumatra. However, the government began to expand state-
owned plantations into Kalimantan and Irian Jaya in the late 1980s. 44
-18-
Since 1979 the development of private plantations and smallholder estates was stimulated
by the government as well, with some World Bank aid. Under the so-called PIR/NES
schemes (Perkebunan Inti Rakyat or Nucleus Estate and Smallholder Scheme) private
developers (known as Inti or Nucleus) planted plots of land with oil palms on behalf of
smallholders located nearby. Most of these smallholders were migrants from other areas. As
the oil palms matured, usually after three to four years, the plots were transferred to the
smallholders (known as Plasma), who developed the plantations under the supervision of the
Inti developers. Inti developers were then required to purchase the oil palm fresh fruit
bunches (FFB) from the smallholders, process them into CPO and sell this CPO on the
market.
Since the PIR/NES scheme was initiated, smallholder plantations have further expanded
under the PIR-Transmigration scheme (1986-1994) and the KKPA scheme (1995-1998),
which both stimulated smallholder developments in transmigration areas. Non-existent in
1978, planted areas held by smallholders grew to a total of 1.1 million hectares in 1999. Most
smallholder estates are found in Riau, South Sumatra, North Sumatra, Jambi and West
Kalimantan.45
During this first expansion phase, total acreage of the Indonesian oil palm plantation sector
increased fivefold from 120,000 hectares in 1968 to 600,000 hectares in 1985. 46
2.1.4 1985-1998: Second expansion phase
As the world demand for oil palm continued to grow at a rapid pace, the Suharto regime
recognized the possibilities of further developing the oil palm sector during the 1980s. Labour
costs are much lower in Indonesia than in Malaysia and land is more abundantly available.
The average cost of producing one ton of crude palm oil was calculated in 1998 at US$
225.5 for Malaysia, US$ 296.1 for Colombia, US$ 298.4 for Ivory Coast and only US$ 206.8
for Indonesia.47
In the mid-1980s the Indonesian government formulated a policy goal to overthrow Malaysia
as the world’s largest palm oil producer. To achieve this aim, large forest areas where
handed out to the large Indonesian business groups and to foreign investors. Officially, the
government reserved 5.5 million hectares, mainly covered with forests, to be converted into
oil palm plantations.
But the Indonesian consultancy Data Consult in 1996 calculated from records of the
Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) that the government had actually allocated 9.13
million hectares of land for oil palm plantations in the eastern part of the country alone,
including 5.56 million hectares in Irian Jaya, 1.70 million hectares in East Kalimantan and
1.80 million hectares in Maluku.48
Even this area looked insufficient to satisfy the appetite of the oil palm plantation sector.
According to some sources, private plantation companies around 1995 had applied for the
conversion of an additional 20 million hectares of forestland into oil palm plantations. Part of
this tremendous demand was motivated by the search for cheap timber supplies, rather than
serious investment plans.49
Greater private sector involvement in the oil palm sector was also encouraged between 1986
and 1996 by granting access to credit at concessionary rates for estate development, new
crop planting and crushing facilities. Newly established companies could then draw on a loan
from an executing bank at a rate of 11 percent during land preparation and establishment of
the trees and 14 percent after the trees had begun to yield. In turn, the executing bank was
eligible to borrow from the Bank of Indonesia at a concessionary rate of 4 percent. The
interest subsidies were intended to help investors overcome risks and uncertainties
associated with establishing estates involving smallholders. 50
-19-
As a result of this expansion drive, the area planted with oil palm in Indonesia increased
considerably from the mid-1980s. Starting from about 600,000 hectares in 1985, the total
area reached approximately 2.8 million hectares in 1998 and 4.1 million hectares in 2003.
Private plantations, which covered just 145,000 hectares in 1986, experienced the strongest
growth during the 1990s and now cover 2.0 million hectares. 51
Oil palm plantation acreage in Indonesia
4,500,000
4,000,000
3,500,000
3,000,000
Hectares
2,500,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
500,000
0
1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003
Year
Figure 5. Development of oil palm plantation acreage in Indonesia

Figures on the development of the mature oil palm acreage in Indonesia are provided in
Table 10. As planting has slowed down during the past few years, the mature acreage is
close to the total planted acreage at present. The mature acreage increased by 118% over
the past eight years.
Table 10 Indonesian mature oil palm acreage (in 1,000 ha) 52

Year 1995 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Growth
Oil palm acreage 1,350 1,828 2,022 2,208 2,465 2,734 2,937 118%
As a consequence of the tremendous increase in oil palm acreage, the production and export
of Indonesian oil palm products has also grown rapidly. Production growth in Indonesia
(114% over the past seven years) was stronger then in any other producing country. In the
late 1980s and early 1990s this production growth was mirrored by a strong rise in domestic
usage, from 0.7 million tonnes in 1986 to 2.8 million tonnes in 1997.
-20-
Table 11 Indonesian production and export of palm oil (in 1,000 MT) 53
Year 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Growth
CPO production 4,220 4,540 5,380 5,361 6,250 7,050 8,030 9,020 114%
Palm oil export 1,855 1,851 2,982 2,260 3,319 4,140 4,940 6,380 244%
Export % 44% 41% 55% 42% 53% 59% 62% 71%
This sharp increase was caused by several factors, mainly increasing population and income
per capita.
Since 1997, domestic use has been growing only modestly to 2.9 million tonnes in 2002,
leaving a surplus production to be exported. Over the past seven years, export growth was
much stronger (244%) than production growth and now 71% of total production is exported.
The development of the Indonesian oil palm sector, in other words, is increasingly export-
driven.
For the year 2003, the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (Gapki) expected CPO
output to increase to 9.6 million tons.54 The authoritative Oil World magazine is somewhat
more cautious expecting an output of 9.3 million tons for 2003 and an export of 6.27 million
tonnes.55
Indonesian palm oil production and export

10,000
9,000
8,000
7,000
1,000 Tonnes
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Year
Palm oil production Palm oil export
Figure 6. Indonesian palm oil production and export 1995-2002
Figures for palm kernel oil production and export (Table 12) show a comparable pattern,
although the export percentage is higher there are also greater fluctuations. Domestic usage
of palm kernel oil in the expanding oleochemical industry plays a significant role here (see
paragraph 2.3.5).
-21-
Table 12 Indonesian production and export of palm kernel oil (in 1,000 MT) 56
Year 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Growth
PKO production 552 658 735 808 937
PKO export 311 413 598 579 582 738 137%
Export % 75% 91% 79% 72% 79%
Obviously, the strong growth of the oil palm plantation sector has brought economic benefits
to Indonesia. In 1997, when CPO and PKO prices were at their peak, the export earnings of
the oil palm sector were valued at US$ 1.7 billion. In 1998 they tumbled to US$ 940 million,
but in 2002 they had recovered to US$ 2.1 billion. Indonesia’s oil palm industry is also an
important employer, with over 800,000 people employed directly and another 2 million people
employed indirectly. 57
To realise these benefits, significant investments were needed. Developing a new plantation
often involves building a CPO mill as well, and it takes a number of years before the
plantation starts producing. On average, developing a new plantation costs between US$
2,500 and 3,500 per hectare. A CPO mill with a processing capacity of 30 tons of FFB per
hour is estimated to cost US$ 5 million.58
Based upon our analysis of the financing structures of 27 prominent Indonesian oil palm
plantation groups, we estimate the total investment figure for the Indonesian oil palm sector
as a whole at US$ 10.0 billion over the past ten years. 59
These investments were only partly provided by the Indonesian state and wealthy Indonesian
businessmen. Direct investments by Malaysian plantation companies in Indonesian joint-
ventures were encouraged, some other foreign companies have also set up or acquired
Indonesian oil palm plantation subsidiaries and foreign individuals and financial institutions
have invested in shares of Indonesian oil palm plantation companies listed on the stock
exchange. Furthermore, especially during the mid-1990s, domestic and foreign banks have
financed a large part of the expansion process by issuing loans and other forms of credit. 60
2.1.5 1998-2002: Investment pause
Between1998 and 2002, the expansion of the Indonesian oil palm sector was much slower
than during the preceding decade. During this period, many oil palm groups ran into financial
trouble and lacked sufficient funds to invest in existing plantations or open new ones. The
slackening off of oil palm expansion is not yet visible in the CPO production figures, as it
takes three years after planting before an oil palm starts producing and another five years
before it reaches its full production capacity. Because of the large number of oil palms
planted before 1998, output has continued to grow during the past few years. New plantings
have clearly slowed down considerably, which in turn will reduce output growth in the coming
years.61
-22-
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Figure 7. Annual area planted with oil palms in Indonesia (hectares)

The main reasons why many oil palm plantation companies ran into financial problems in the
period 1998-2002, are discussed briefly below:
• The Rupiah exchange rate
The so-called Asia Financial Crisis of 1997/1998, resulted in a strong devaluation of the
Rupiah since the end of 1997. In June 1997, one US dollar equalled 2,432 Rupiah, but in
June 1998 the exchange rate had slipped to 14,925 per dollar. Table 13 and the
accompanying figure below show how the dollar/rupiah exchange rate has deteriorated in
the past three years.
Table 13 Exchange rate Rupiah / Dollar 62

Year Average At 31 December
1996 2,328.5 2,363.1
1997 2,903.5 5,535.0
1998 10,285.4 8,005.0
1999 7,876.9 7,150.0
2000 8,415.8 9,725.0
2001 10,293.8 10,505.0
2002 9,350.1 8,962.2
2003 8,592.8 8,464.7
-23-
Rp16.000
Rp14.000
Rp12.000
Rp10.000
1 U S $=
Rp8.000
Rp6.000
Rp4.000
Rp2.000
Rp0
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Date
Figure 8. Exchange rate of the rupiah vs. the dollar 1997-2004
This development had mixed consequences for the Indonesian oil palm companies.
Companies exporting a large part of their production saw their Rupiah-income rise
substantially while for instance labour costs did not rise significantly. But companies that
had borrowed large sums from foreign banks needed much more Rupiahs to pay interest
and principal on their debts. For companies exporting a large part of their production, this
was less of a burden. However, companies producing mainly for the domestic market that
had borrowed large sums from foreign banks ran into financial trouble.
• Prices on the world market
Since the beginning of 2000 the CPO and PKO prices on the world market have been
very low (see Table 9). This price trend was partly caused by the rapid expansion of CPO
and PKO export from Indonesia. But for the individual Indonesian producer it meant that
export earnings were much lower than expected in 2000 and 2001.
However, in 2002 CPO and PKO prices started to recover and during 2003 they have
risen further. Export earnings and profits for the Indonesian oil palm companies are rising
accordingly.
• The CPO export ban and export tax
In the beginning of 1998, the Indonesian government banned the export of CPO for four
months. Since 1997, most Indonesian oil palm companies had tried to export as much of
their production as possible, as the devaluation of the rupiah and the high CPO prices on
the world market offered very high returns. This resulted in shortages and accompanying
price rises on the domestic market for cooking oil, which is seen as a vital commodity by
most Indonesians. To diminish social unrest, the Suharto regime decided to temporarily
ban CPO export.63
Oil palm plantation companies that had borrowed large sums from foreign banks were
thereby deprived of the possibility of earning foreign currency to pay interest and principal
on their debts.
-24-
In April 1998, the CPO export ban was replaced by a CPO export tax of 40 percent, in an
attempt to normalise the CPO prices on the domestic and export markets. The export tax
was levied on the difference between a government-determined target price and the
actual export price. Since April 1998, this export tax has been raised and then gradually
reduced, as shown in Table 14.
Table 14 Indonesian CPO export ban and export tax 64

From To CPO export tax / ban
December 1997 5%
December 1997 January 1998 30%
January 1998 April 1998 Export ban
April 1998 July 1998 40%
July 1998 February 1999 60%
February 1999 June 1999 40%
June 1999 July 1999 30%
July 1999 September 2000 10%
September 2000 February 2001 5%
February 2001 3%
Especially the export ban, but also the high export taxes at the end of the 1990s have
contributed to the financial troubles faced by many Indonesian oil palm companies since
1998.
• Policy changes in Indonesia
After President Suharto stood down in May 1998, the new Habibie government came
under a great deal of pressure to reform the forest sector and rid Indonesia of corruption,
collusion and nepotism (KKN). Some of these changes have deterred investment in the oil
palm sector:
• In early June 1998, the Ministry of Forestry and Estate Crops instructed all provincial
forestry and plantation offices to revoke the forest use and conversion permits of estate
crop companies that were only interested in cutting timber from their concessions and
had failed to develop their estates. This instruction was strengthened when, in October
1998, the Ministry of Forestry and Plantation Estate Crops issued a statement saying
that they had stopped issuing new licences to open up conversion forest land for
plantation estates because many investors had neglected their projects. According to
the government, only 1.4 million hectares (16.5 percent) had been realised from the
nine million hectares of forests licensed for plantation estates since early 1990.
Investors were then warned that the government would revoke their licences if they did
not start their projects within the next year. The instruction to revoke the plantation
licences of companies that had failed to develop their estates has been implemented at
least partially at the provincial level and has greatly concerned the industry. 65
• In March 1999, the Ministry of Forestry and Estate Crops released a regulation that
limited plantation concession sizes. This regulation set the tree crop plantation
development area at 20,000 hectares in any one province, and up to a maximum of
100,000 hectares in the whole country for a given company. This regulation has
created much unrest, but seems ineffective. It is not preventing separate companies
owned by the same owner (business group) exceeding the maxima jointly. Plantations
are also required to have their own CPO-mill.66
-25-
• During 1998 and 1999 frequent changes were made to the domestic CPO distribution
system as well as to the CPO export system. CPO distribution used to be dominated by
Bulog, the National Logistics Agency, but the government has now retreated from this
sector. The current government policy is not to intervene in CPO price-setting as long
as there is adequate oil supply. 67
• Social unrest
The relative political liberalisation which has taken place in Indonesia since the end of
1998, has provided room for local communities to step up protests against further oil palm
expansion by damaging estate offices, large machinery, processing plants and
plantations. Local communities have reclaimed land taken from them during the Suharto-
era, when oil palm plantation companies were given concessions to vast areas of land
which the local people considered theirs. Often it was taken by force, and frequently the
local communities received no compensation. Prior to Suharto's fall in 1998, any attempt
to invade land was suppressed by the army. But in the age of reformasi, the authorities
became reluctant to side with the big companies.68
Looting also increased on estates because estate workers and local communities began
to experience increased living costs after the rupiah depreciated against the dollar. Some
resorted to looting in order to supplement their incomes. 69
• Foreign reluctance to invest in Indonesia
Since 1998, foreign companies and banks have shown great reluctance to invest in
Indonesia, and especially in the oil palm sector. The general reluctance is caused by the
economic and political instability facing the country since the financial crisis of 1997/1998.
Many Indonesian companies suffered financial collapse during that period, exposing the
large loans extended to them by local banks (which often belonged to the same business
groups). Many Indonesian banks ran into financial difficulties, forcing the Indonesian Bank
Restructuring Agency (IBRA) to take over these banks and guarantee their loans. As
collateral, IBRA seized shareholdings in other companies from the owners of these banks.
By selling these assets, IBRA tried to restructure the Indonesian banking sector, but this
restructuring is still not finished.
The efforts of IBRA were also hampered by the strong political and social unrest which
accompanied the end of the Suharto regime in May 1998 and the subsequent hesitant
transition towards democracy. A new, stable political order has yet to emerge, which
makes foreign investors wary.
In particular, the oil palm sector was unpopular with foreign banks between 1998 and
2002, as the loans extended in the mid-1990s had not generated the expected returns.
Because of the reasons outlined above, many Indonesian oil palm companies were
unable to pay scheduled interest and principal on their debts. Many oil palm companies
entered into a difficult debt restructuring process, which often forced foreign banks to
accept write offs on their outstanding loans.
At the same time, foreign banks were faced with NGO-criticism of their role in converting
the Indonesian forests into oil palm plantations.70
All these factors greatly reduced the appetite of foreign banks to lend to Indonesian oil
palm companies. The successful IPO of Golden Agri-Resources in July 1999 on the
Singapore stock exchange was a remarkable exception, resulting from generally positive
perceptions of the Sinar Mas Group that still existed abroad.
-26-
Indonesian banks and the Indonesian capital market offered some relief during this period.
For those Indonesian oil palm companies that were not in big financial trouble, but were
nonetheless excluded from international financing because of the reluctance to invest in
the sector described above, the domestic capital market provided an alternative. A
number of companies attracted local bank loans, companies such as Astra Agro Lestari
and Indofood were able to issue bonds on the local market and Tunas Baru Lampung
even succeeded in making a successful IPO in February 2000.
• Financial problems of sister and mother companies
Sometimes exacerbating the financial problems of some oil palm plantation companies in
the period 1998-2002, were the financial problems of their respective sister and mother
companies. Golden Agri-Resources of the Sinar Mas Group for instance is still not able to
use the cash deposits it had deposited at a bank in the Cook Islands (which itself is part of
the Sinar Mas Group) as this bank had run into serious trouble itself. And PP London
Sumatra Indonesia was unable to retrieve the considerable loans it had extended to its
mother company Pan London Sumatra Plantation.
Also, a number of Indonesian oil palm plantation companies have been put up for sale, as
their mother companies try to raise cash to pay their own debts. This was the case with
Golden Agri-Resources of the Sinar Mas Group and Astra Agro Lestari of the Astra Agro
Group, and probably also with PP London Sumatra Indonesia. A large part of the oil palm
plantations of the Salim Group have already been handed over to IBRA, and were
subsequently sold to Kumpulan Guthrie Berhad. And Bakrie Sumatera Plantations
became effectively owned by a large group of Indonesian and foreign banks as a
consequence of the debt restructuring of its parent company Bakrie & Brothers.
2.1.6 Since 2002: Renewed expansion
During 2002 and certainly during the first half of 2003, the tide seems to have turned for the
Indonesian oil palm sector. CPO and PKO prices on the world market have recovered (see
figure 2.2) and the rupiah has appreciated somewhat relative to the dollar. Almost all oil palm
groups are making profits again and most have finally succeeded in restructuring their debts:
some debts have been written off and others rescheduled.
-27-
Oil palm plantations by province
2%1%
3% 1%
2% North Sumatra
4%
20%
Riau
4%
South Sumatra
Jambi
Aceh
9%
West Sumatra
Bengkulu
2%
Lampung
West Kalimantan
3%
South Kalimantan
5% 20% Central Kalimantan
East Kalimantan
South Sulawesi
7%
Central Sulawesi
West Papua
8% 9%
West Java
Figure 9. Indonesian oil palm plantations by province
Figure 9 provides details of the geographical distribution of the Indonesian oil palm
plantations in 2001, as provided by the Ministry of Agriculture. More than 75% of all oil palm
plantations are located in Sumatra and another 19% in Kalimantan. Oil palm plantation
development in Sulawesi and West Papua has only just started. 71
Now they have the required financial resources, many oil palm companies are resuming their
expansion plans. Early in 2003 the Indonesian Agriculture Ministry announced it had licensed
74 companies to open new oil palm plantations covering an additional 672,977 hectares.
These companies promised to make a total investment of Rp 17,300 billion (US$ 2.1 billion).
With the addition of these new oil palm plantations Indonesia's CPO production is expected
to outstrip Malaysia's in two to three years' time, according to the Ministry.72
But this will only be achieved when more CPO milling capacity has been established in the
main plantation regions. After harvesting, the oil palm fruit has to be processed within 24
hours to avoid the rapid build-up of free fatty acids. Between 1998 and 2002, many plantation
companies were forced to postpone the building of CPO mills due to a lack of funds.
Meanwhile, areas planted with oil palms before 1998 have become mature. As a
consequence, at least one million tons of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) were wasted last year
due to a lack of milling capacity. This amounts to 0.2 million tonnes of CPO that was lost.
Indonesia has nearly 300 mills spread over some 16 provinces. About 240 of these are
located in the northern parts of Sumatra and nearly 40 in Kalimantan. South Sumatra and
Kalimantan in particular still face a capacity shortage, especially in the peak production
months. South Sumatra province alone needs at least 22 new CPO-mills, according to its
governor in January 2003.73
-28-
Further expansion of the Indonesian oil palm sector requires substantial additional
investments, for which the support of financial institutions is needed. New bank lending by
domestic and foreign banks is increasing once again and some companies even have issued
bonds into the international capital markets. Landmarks were the loans arranged by ING
Bank (The Netherlands) for Indofood in April 2002 and by Rabobank (The Netherlands) for
Kumpulan Guthrie’s Indonesian operations in March 2003, as well as Indofood’s international
bond issuance in July 2002 which was managed by Crédit Suisse (Switzerland).
With the economic prospects for the sector improving and with some of the major foreign
banks apparently overcoming their reluctance to invest in the Indonesian oil palm sector, a
new expansion phase is clearly gaining momentum.
2.2 Export markets for the Indonesian oil palm sector
2.2.1 Introduction
The oil palm yields three basic products: crude palm oil, crude palm kernel oil and crude
palm kernel meal. In the following paragraphs data are provided on the Indonesian exports of
these basic products, in combination with some derived products:
• Crude palm oil is refined into RBD palm oil, and then fractionated into RBD olein and RBD
stearin. In trade statistics these four products (CPO, RBDPO, RBD olein and RBD stearin)
are generally taken together under the heading palm oil. In paragraph 2.2.2 provides data
on the Indonesian palm oil exports, comprising the combined exports of these four
products.
• Similarly, in paragraph 2.2.3 data are presented for the combined exports of crude palm
kernel oil and RBD palm kernel oil from Indonesia.
• Paragraph 2.2.4 provides data on the Indonesian export of palm kernel meal.
Indonesian export figures for oleochemical products and speciality fats are not available.
2.2.2 Palm oil export markets
The development of the Indonesian oil palm sector is increasingly export-driven, as palm oil
exports increased by 244% in the past seven year. Table 15 provides an overview of the
main export markets for Indonesian palm oil (crude and refined).
Despite a volume growth of 60% since 1995, the European Union lost its position as the
most important export market for Indonesian palm oil to India. The share of the EU declined
from 50% to 23%, while India now accounts for 28% of Indonesian palm oil exports. Some
other Asian markets, especially China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong are
quickly expanding their palm oil imports from Indonesia. On a lower level, the same applies
to some African countries (Egypt, Tanzania, Nigeria and South Africa) as well as to Jordan
and Russia. In the past seven years Indonesia has further diversified its export markets, a
development that looks likely to continue.
Indonesian palm oil exports to Malaysia - still the largest palm oil exporter in the world - are
worth remarking on. It is probable that this palm oil is re-exported from Malaysia, but
classified as Malaysian palm oil.
-29-
Table 15 Export markets for Indonesian palm oil (in 1,000 MT) 74
Year 1995 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Growth Share
India 113 309 1,029 1,639 1,520 1,767 1,464% 28%
European Union 935 993 1,002 908 1,185 1,496 60% 23%
China 181 325 354 693 681 789 336% 12%
Malaysia 27 264 273 76 78 405 1,400% 6%
Pakistan 41 16 10 15 97 269 556% 4%
Bangladesh 3 12 41 96 179 221 7,267% 3%
Turkey 31 10 45 68 154 152 390% 2%
Nigeria 0 0 21 51 53 141 > 100% 2%
Tanzania 5 3 36 87 110 114 2,180% 2%
Hong Kong 19 8 12 34 31 101 432% 2%
Jordan 39 6 4 14 25 96 146% 2%
South Africa 4 7 47 61 136 93 2,225% 1%
Russia 0 0 3 10 88 91 > 100% 1%
Egypt 56 22 70 35 96 89 59% 1%
Other countries 401 285 372 353 507 556 39% 9%
Total export 1,855 2,260 3,319 4,140 4,940 6,380 244% 100%
2.2.3 Palm kernel oil export markets

Indonesian palm kernel oil (PKO) exports increased by 137% over the past seven years.
Table 16 provides an overview of the main export markets for Indonesian PKO.
Table 16 Export markets for Indonesian PKO (in 1,000 MT) 75

European Union 222 303 362 330 304 449 102% 61%
Malaysia 7 31 33 41 26 63 800% 9%
India 1 2 24 57 49 49 4,800% 7%
China 0 0 4 3 60 36 > 100% 5%
Turkey 12 11 29 35 37 31 158% 4%
Mexico 0 2 28 15 27 23 > 100% 3%
Singapore 0 3 4 3 6 12 > 100% 2%
United States 19 38 73 50 20 11 -42% 1%
Brazil 26 11 16 23 22 7 -73% 1%
Canada 19 6 4 2 0 0 -100% 0%
Other countries 5 6 21 22 31 57 1,040% 8%
Total export 311 413 598 579 582 738 137% 100%
-30-
Unlike the palm oil market (Table 15), the European Union is still the most important export
destination by far for Indonesian palm kernel oil. Exports to the EU doubled in the past seven
years and its share in total Indonesian PKO exports slipped only slightly from 71% to 61%.
As is the case with Indonesian palm oil, Malaysia, India, China and Turkey are also strongly
expanding their PKO imports from Indonesia. The same applies to Mexico, but the United
States, Canada and Brazil seem to be decreasing their PKO imports from Indonesia.
As Malaysia is also an important exporter of PKO, Indonesian PKO exports to Malaysia could
be re-exported.
2.2.4 Palm kernel meal export markets
Indonesian palm kernel meal (PKM) exports increased by 109% over the past seven years.
Table 17 provides an overview of the main export markets for Indonesian PKM.
Table 17 Export markets for Indonesian PKM (in 1,000 MT) 76

European Union 455 572 716 670 632 876 93% 87%
South Korea 6 83 78 66 59 67 1,117% 7%
Singapore 0 23 26 70 15 25 >100% 2%
China 0 0 0 4 123 13 >100% 1%
South Africa 0 0 0 0 2 11 >100% 1%
United States 8 0 6 0 15 5 -37% 0%
Malaysia 0 0 0 2 14 0 0% 0%
Other countries 15 5 0 10 20 13 -13% 1%
Total export 483 683 825 822 880 1,010 109% 100%
Even more than is the case for Indonesian PKO, the European Union is the dominant export
market for Indonesian PKM. Indonesian PKM exports to the EU increased by 93% over the
past seven years, and its share of Indonesia’s PKM exports only slipped slightly from 94% to
87%.
Apart from the EU, only South Korea and Singapore seem to be stable (although much
smaller) export markets for Indonesian PKM. Other countries, such as China, South Africa,
the United States and Malaysia, seem to import Indonesian PKM on a more sporadic basis.
2.3 Business groups in the Indonesian oil palm sector
2.3.1 Oil palm plantations and CPO mills

There are hundreds of oil palm plantation companies active in Indonesia. The larger
plantation companies usually operate their own CPO mill, while the smaller plantation
companies sell their Fresh Fruit Bunches to CPO mills of neighbouring plantations.
While the total number of oil palm plantation companies is very large, a limited number of
Indonesian and foreign business groups controls most of them. Table 18 provides an
overview of the largest business groups operating in the oil palm plantation sector (including
the state-owned Perkebunan Nusantara Group).
-31-
Table 18 Major oil palm plantation groups in Indonesia 77
CPO
Country of ultimate Land bank Planted Case
Group production
ownership (ha) area (ha) study
(tons)
Anglo-Eastern Malaysia 33,692 18,389 63,240
Astra Agro Singapore 290,621 189,970 543,635 12
Bakrie Indonesia 80,000 34,681 55,401
Benua Indah Indonesia 180,000 ? ?
Bolloré France 37,467 37,467 182,628
Bumi Flora & Parasawita Indonesia 11,982 ? ?
Cargill United States 27,000 27,000 100,000
Carson Cumberbatch Sri Lanka 15,934 12,557 26,570
CDC United Kingdom 30,625 22,731 100,000 2
Cisadane Indonesia 20,652 ? ?
Dutapalma Indonesia 60,000 42,000 ?
Golden Hope Malaysia 72,000 8,014 ?
Hasil Karsa Indonesia 14,000 ? ?
Hasko Indonesia 8,000 ? ?
Incasi Raya & Metro Indonesia 200,000 ? ?
Johor Malaysia 140,000 19,622 ?
Kuala Lumpur Kepong Malaysia 52,000 31,808 ?
Kumpulan Guthrie Malaysia 215,973 162,213 329,524 9-11
Kuok Malaysia 57,927 9,708 16,100 3
Lyman Indonesia 160,000 ? ?
Musim Mas Indonesia 60,000 ? ?
Napan & Risjadson Indonesia 340,000 40,534 259,492 5
Oriental Malaysia 43,900 ? ?
Perkebunan Nusantara Indonesia 770,000 561,126 2,094,364 14
Raja Garuda Mas Indonesia 543,000 317, 850 600,000 6,7
REA United Kingdom 125,000 13,209 28,557
Rowe Evans United Kingdom 35,304 25,136 ?
Salim Indonesia 230,000 161,973 775,651 7
Sinar Mas Indonesia 591,000 282,000 1,105,000 8
Sipef Belgium 65,000 29,364 127,003
Sungai Budi Indonesia 62,015 12,000 ?
Surya Dumai Indonesia 154,133 23,975 ?
Tirtamas and Maharani Indonesia 270,000 105,282 ?
Wilmar United States / China ? ? ?
-32-
Total for Indonesia ? 4,100,000 9,020,000
Some of these plantation groups own edible oil refineries as well (see paragraph 2.3.3). It
can be assumed that a large part or all of their CPO production is sent to these refineries.
But many of the plantation groups listed in Table 18 also export their CPO directly. The
following information related to the export of oil palm products is found for these oil palm
plantation groups:
• Astra Agro Group: Foreign customers buying crude oil palm products from the Astra
Agro Group include: 78
• Cargill United States

• Gardner Smith Australia
• Kumpulan Guthrie Malaysia
• Kuok Singapore
• Wilmar Singapore
• Cargill Group: Cargill owns one plantation in South Sumatra, PT Hindoli, producing
100,000 tonnes of CPO annually. Cargill Indonesia also operates as buyer and exporter of
palm oil and palm kernel oil from other plantations, crushing plants and refineries.
Operating a storage tank program in Belawan and Dumai, the company collects palm oil
direct from both large and small plantations. The annual CPO volume exported by Cargill
is around 700,000 tonnes, 11% of total Indonesian CPO export (see Table 15).79
Indonesian oil palm plantation and refinery companies (outside the Cargill Group) from
which Cargill is buying crude or refined oil palm products include: 80
• Golden Agri-Resources Ltd. Sinar Mas Group81

• PT Astra Agro Lestari Astra Agro Group82
• PT Bukit Kapur Reksa Wilmar Group
• PT Cirenti Subur Dutapalma Group
• PT Darmex Oil & Fats Dutapalma Group
• PT Dutapalma Nusantara Dutapalma Group
• PT Eka Dura Indonesia Astra Agro Group
• PT Eluan Mahkota Dutapalma Group
• PT Intibenua Perkasatama
• PT Ivo Mas Tunggal Sinar Mas Group
• PT Johan Sentosa Dutapalma Group
• PT Jumbo Glory
• PT Kantor Pemasaran Bersama Perkebunan Nusantara Group
• PT Karya Amal Tani
• PT Kencana Amal Tani Dutapalma Group
• PT Musim Mas Musim Mas Group
• PT Permata Hijau Sawit
• PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia Napan & Risjadson Groups83
• PT Sari Lembah Subur Astra Agro Group
• PT Sawitra Oil Grains Salim Group
• PT Siringo-Ringo Musim Mas Group
• PT Smart Sinar Mas Group
• PT Swasti Siddhi
• PT Taluk Kuantan Perkasa Dutapalma Group
• PT Tunggal Perkasa Astra Agro Group
• Sipef Group 84
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PNG oil palm plantation companies from which Cargill is buying crude oil palm products
include:
• New Britain Palm Oil Johor Group85
• CDC Group: The foreign marketing office of the CDC Group is Pacific Rim Palm Oil Ltd.
in Singapore.86
• Dutapalma Group: Foreign customers buying crude or refined oil palm products from the
Dutapalma Group include: 87

• Kuok Singapore
• Golden Hope Group: The Golden Hope group has a subsidiary in Germany, Paul
Tieffenbacher GmbH., which acts as its European marketing office.88
Golden Hope also owns the edible oils refinery Unimills B.V. in the Netherlands, which it
probably also supplies with palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia.89
An important foreign customer buying refined oil palm products from the Golden Hope
Group is:90
• Britannia Food Ingredients United Kingdom
• Johor Group: The Johor Group has a subsidiary in the Netherlands, Matthes & Porton
B.V., which probably acts as its European marketing office.91
• Kumpulan Guthrie Group: The Kumpulan Guthrie Group has a subsidiary in the United
Kingdom, Guthrie Symington Ltd., which acts as its European marketing office. A wide
range of rubber & latex grades, rubber related industrial products and edible oils are also
sourced from outside the Kumpulan Guthrie Group via an extensive network of producer
contacts. Outside the UK, Guthrie Symington also has offices in Milan (Italy), Paris
(France) and Durban (South Africa).92
Indonesian oil palm plantation and refinery companies (outside the Kumpulan Guthrie
Group) from which Guthrie Symington is buying crude or refined oil palm products
include:93

• PT Eluan Mahkota Dutapalma Group
• PT Inti Buana Perkasatama
• PT Jumbo Glory
• PT Karya Amal Tani
• PT Karya Sawit Lestari
• PT Siringo-Ringo Musim Mas Group
-34-
• Kuok Group: Kuok Oils & Grains Pte. Ltd. in Singapore is the edible oils marketing
company of the Malaysian Kuok Group. This company buys oil palm products produced
by its own Indonesian oil palm plantations and outside oil palm plantation companies.
Crude palm oil, crude palm kernel oil and palm kernels can be transported to the refineries
and palm kernel crushing plants of PGEO Group Sdn. Bhd. in Malaysia for further
processing. But they can also be shipped to external customers directly, just as the
refined oils produced by the Malaysian operations of the Kuok Group. Transport is carried
out by Malaysian Bulk Carriers Sdn. Bhd., a company partly owned by the Kuok Group.95
The Kuok Group is closely related to the Wilmar Group. Other Indonesian oil palm
plantation and refinery companies from which Kuok is buying crude or refined oil palm
products include: 96

• PT Eka Dura Indonesia Astra Agro Group
• PT Gandaerah Hendana Barito Pacific Group
• PT Intibenua Perkasatama
• PT Taluk Kuantan Perkasa Dutapalma Group
Possibly Kuok Oils & Grains Pte. Ltd. is (or will become) involved as well in the export
sales of the Napan & Risjadson Groups and the Tirtamas and Maharani Groups.
• Musim Mas Group: See paragraph 2.3.3.
• Napan & Risjadson Groups: PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia Tbk. (LonSum) exports
much of its CPO production via the Belawan port in North Sumatra. Its CPO was stored by
tank storage company PT Deli Tama Indonesia. LonSum was among the Deli Tama
clients whose CPO-exports were contaminated with diesel in the fall of 1999. In December
1999 LonSum switched to two other storage companies, PT Prima Palm Indah and PT
Belawan Tanki Indonesia (see 2.3.6), to store its CPO in Belawan.97
Foreign customers buying crude oil palm products from the Napan & Risjadson Groups
include (the referenced year is the last year in which it is certain that the company was a
customer): 98
• Anglia Oils (now Aarhus United) United Kingdom 1997

• Gardner Smith Australia 1995
• Wilmar Singapore 2002
Foreign customers possibly buying crude oil palm products from the Napan & Risjadson
Groups include (the referenced year is the last year in which it is certain that the company
was a customer): 99
• Cadbury Schweppes United Kingdom 2002

• Cargill United States 2001
• Genvora Singapore 1996
• Kumpulan Guthrie Malaysia 2002
• Ito Shoji Co. Japan 1998
-35-
• MacRobertson Foods Singapore 1999
• State Company Food Stuff China 1998
Recently, the Kuok Group acquired a large shareholding in the LonSum Group.100
Possibly Kuok Oils & Grains Pte. Ltd. will become involved in the export sales of the
LonSum Group.
• Perkebunan Nusantara Group: The marketing of CPO produced by the oil palm
plantations of the Perkebunan Nusantara Group is handled by the Group’s joint marketing
office Kantor Pemasaran Bersama (KPB).
CPO produced by Perkebunan Nusantara plantation companies in North Sumatra, West
Sumatra, Lampung and in part of Java is stock-piled and distributed by PT Deli Tama
Indonesia in the Belawan port (see paragraph 2.3.6).101
The German company Indoham MbH. (a joint-venture between the Perkebunan
Nusantara Group and three German companies) is the marketing office of the
Perkebunan Nusantara Group in Europe.102
Foreign customers buying crude or refined oil palm products from the Perkebunan
Nusantara Group include: 103

• Sipef Group: The Sipef Group sells oil palm products to Unilever and Cargill.104
• Salim Group: PT Sawitra Oil Grains is the edible oil trading subsidiary of food company
PT Indofood Sukses Makmur. Sawitra trades in crude and refined palm oil, palm kernel oil
and coconut oil, produced by oil palm plantations belonging to the Salim Group as well as
by other companies. Around 25% of its sales are to export markets.105
Foreign customers of PT Sawitra Oil Grains include (the referenced year is the last year in
which it is certain that the company was a customer):106
• Archer Daniels Midland United States 1999

• Cargill United States 2002
• Gardner Smith Australia 1999
• Lotte Trading South Korea 1997
• Nabisco United States 1997
• Procter & Gamble United States 2001
• Safic Alcan France 1999
• Unilever Netherlands / United Kingdom 1997
• Sungai Budi Group: Oil palm products are marketed abroad by Inter-United Enterprises
Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, probably a subsidiary of the Sungai Budi Group.107
• Sinar Mas Group: Oil palm products are marketed abroad by Golden Agri International
Ltd. in Singapore, a subsidiary of Golden Agri-Resources Ltd.108
Foreign customers buying crude or refined oil palm products from the Sinar Mas Group
include: 109

• Kuok Singapore
• Marubeni Corporation Japan
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• Mitsubishi Corporation Japan
• Unilever The Netherlands / United KIngdom
• Tirtamas and Maharani Groups: In setting up their oil palm plantations, the Tirtamas and
Maharani Groups have collaborated with the Kuok Group.110 Possibly Kuok Oils & Grains
Pte. Ltd. is involved in export sales of these groups.
• Wilmar Group: Wilmar Holdings in Singapore is owned by Archer Daniels Midland

(United States), Cofco (China), Martua Sitorus (Indonesia) and Kuok Khoon Hong
(Malaysia, member of the Kuok family which controls the Kuok group).111
Wilmar Holdings owns a number of oil palm plantations and several palm oil mills in
Indonesia. Wilmar claims to be the largest exporter of palm oil, palm kernel, palm kernel
expeller and related products in Indonesia. The company buys crude palm oil from its own
plantations and from a number of other plantations in Indonesia.112
Indonesian oil palm plantation companies selling palm oil to the Wilmar Group are: 113

• PT Intibenua Perkasa
• PT Kencana Amal Tani Dutapalma Group
• PT Kantor Pemasaran Bersama Perkebunan Nusantara Group
• PT Sari Lembah Subur Astra Agro Group
• PT Sawitra Oil Grains Salim Group116
PNG oil palm plantation companies from which Wilmar is buying crude oil palm products
include:
• New Britain Palm Oil Johor Group117
The CPO sold by these companies to the Wilmar Group could be exported as such to
overseas markets by Wilmar, or could be refined in Wilmar’s refineries in Indonesia and
Malaysia (see paragraph 2.3.3) and then exported.
Wilmar Holdings has a subsidiary in the Netherlands, Wilmar Europe B.V., which probably
acts as its sales agent in Europe. 118 Probably Wilmar Holdings supplies ADM trading
companies and refineries in the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom.
2.3.2 Palm kernel crushing plants
Almost all Indonesian palm kernels are processed in palm kernel crushing plants in
Indonesia, as is shown in Table 19. Less than 1% is exported, mostly to Malaysia.
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Table 19 Indonesian crushing and export of palm kernels (in 1,000 MT) 119
Year 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Growth
Crushings 1,240 1,478 1,651 1,815 2,105
Exports 3 8 8 2 6
The following information is available on the companies owning palm kernel crushing plants
in Indonesia:
• Bolloré Group: PT Socfindo operates a palm kernel crushing plant with a capacity of 4.4
tons per hour (30,000 tons per year). 120
• Cahaya Kalbar Group: PT Cahaya Kalbar operates a palm kernel crushing plant in West
Kalimantan. Cahaya Kalbar does not own plantations and buys all palm kernels from
outside plantation groups.121
• Dutapalma Group: PT Taluk Kuantan Perkasa operates a palm kernel crushing plant in
Dumai, Riau, with a capacity of 600 tonnes palm kernels per day (210,000 tons per
year).122
• Salim Group: PT Bitung Menado Oil operates a palm kernel crushing plant with an
annual capacity of 45,000 tons in Sulawesi.123
• Sinar Mas Group: Golden Agri-Resources Ltd. operates four palm kernel crushing mills
with an annual capacity of 356,400 tonnes. One of these crushing mills is on the Bangka
Islands.124
• Wilmar Group: Wilmar Holdings Ltd. operates four palm kernel crushing facilities in
Indonesia and Malaysia with total palm kernel crushing capacity of 800,000 tons per
annum. Wilmar claims to be the largest palm kernel crusher in Indonesia, as well as the
largest exporter of palm kernel oil and palm kernel expeller and related products in
Indonesia. The company buys palm kernels from its own plantations in Indonesia and
from a number of other plantations in Indonesia (see paragraph 2.3.1).125
2.3.3 Palm oil and palm kernel oil refineries

As shown in Table 20 the majority of the Indonesian CPO production is refined domestically,
either for domestic usage or for export as refined palm oil. The refined volume increased by
95% since 1995, almost equalling total production growth. At present 69% of total Indonesian
palm oil production is refined, down from 86% in 1999.
Fluctuations in the refining percentages are probably caused by:
• Changes in Indonesian export taxes (see Table 14);

• Changes in import taxes in important export markets, especially when the import of
refined palm oil products is levied higher than the import of crude palm oil (which is the
case in the European Union - see Table 25);
• Investments needed to bring new refining capacity on stream.
The existing import levies of the European Union, which try to encourage refining within the
EU, clearly influence Indonesian palm oil export patterns. Of total Indonesian palm oil exports
in 2002, 44% consisted of crude palm oil and 56% of refined palm oil. But of Indonesian palm
oil exports to the European Union 65% consisted of crude palm oil and only 35% of refined
palm oil.126
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Table 20 Indonesian production and refining of palm oil (in 1,000 MT) 127
Year 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Growth
CPO production 4,220 4,540 5,380 5,361 6,250 7,050 8,030 9,020 114%
Palm oil refining 3,180 3,530 3,932 4,466 5,385 5,232 6,181 6,215 95%
Refining % 75% 78% 73% 83% 86% 74% 77% 69%
In February 1999, Indonesia housed 57 palm oil refining companies, with a combined annual
capacity of 7.9 million tonnes.128 These refineries belonged to a limited number of business
groups, as indicated in Table 21.
Table 21 Palm oil refineries in Indonesia 129

Country of ultimate Plantation Annual
Group Share
ownership ownership capacity (MT)
Musim Mas Indonesia Yes 1,600,000 20.4%
Wilmar United States / China Yes 1,562,250 19.9%
Hasil Karsa Indonesia Yes 991,675 12.6%
Sinar Mas Indonesia Yes 911,200 11.6%
Salim Indonesia Yes 570,000 7.3%
Berlian Eka Sakti Tangguh Indonesia No 430,500 5.5%
Sungai Budi Indonesia Yes 420,000 5.3%
Perkebunan Nusantara Indonesia Yes 385,355 4.9%
Raja Garuda Mas Indonesia Yes 337,280 4.3%
Others 647,112 8.2%
Total 7,855,372 100%
As is shown in Table 21, nine business groups accounted for more than 90% of the
Indonesian palm oil refining capacity. Most of these groups are Indonesian-owned, only one
(Wilmar) is a joint-venture by the big American commodity trader ADM and the Chinese
company Cofco. Seven refinery groups own oil palm plantations themselves (see Table 18),
but they generally also buy CPO from other oil palm plantations. The other two refinery
groups rely fully on CPO bought externally.
The following information is available regarding the production and export of refined palm oil
and palm kernel oil by these refinery groups. (Refining capacities provided here are in some
cases much higher than in Table 21, but it is unclear if this is caused by take-overs or
expansions).
• Bakrie Group: PT Kilang Vecolina operates a palm oil refinery in West Java with a
capacity of 200 tonnes CPO per day (70,000 tonnes per year).130
• Bolloré Group: PT Socfindo operates a palm oil refinery with a capacity of 320 tonnes
CPO per day (112,000 tonnes per year). 131
• Cahaya Kalbar Group: The Cahaya Kalbar Group operates two edible oil refineries in
West Java and one in West Kalimantan.132
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• Cisadane Raya Group: PT Cisadane Raya Chemicals operates a palm oil refinery with
an annual capacity of 180,000 tonnes in Jakarta. The production is sold domestically.133
• Dutapalma Group: PT Darmex Oil & Fats operates a palm oil refinery in Bekasi, West
Java, with a capacity of 1,300 tonnes CPO per day (460,000 tonnes per year).134
For details on foreign customers of the Dutapalma Group see paragraph 2.3.1.
• Musim Mas Group: The Musim Mas Group operates five palm oil refineries with a
combined capacity of 8,000 tonnes CPO per day (2.8 million tonnes per year). These
refineries are:135
• PT Musim Mas Belawan North Sumatra

• ? Tanjung Mulia North Sumatra
• ? Dumai Sumatra
• PT Bina Karya Prima Jakarta Java
• ? Surabaya Java
The Musim Mas Group owns its own oil palm plantations, but also buys CPO from other
companies. Oil palm plantation companies supplying CPO to Musim Mas are:

The Musim Mas refinery is located near the Belawan port in North Sumatra and has its
own bulk tank terminal and ships to export products in liquid bulk.138
The Musim Mas Group claims to have exported 1.5 million tonnes of crude and refined
palm oil and palm kernel oil in 2002, which amounts to more then 20% of Indonesia’s total
exports (see Table 15 and Table 16). Export marketing is the responsibility of its
Malaysian subsidiary Musim Mastika (Malaysia) Bhd.139
Foreign customers buying crude or refined oil palm products from the Musim Mas Group
include: 140

• Kuok Singapore
• Raja Garuda Mas Group: PT Asian Agri operates three palm oil refineries in Indonesia,
located in North Sumatra, Riau and Jakarta. These refineries have a combined capacity of
over 780,000 tonnes of CPO per annum. 141
• Salim Group: PT Intiboga Sejahtera operates two palm oil refineries in Jakarta and
Surabaya with a refining capacity of 2,100 tons CPO (735,000 tons per year).142
For details on foreign customers of the Salim Group see paragraph 2.3.1.
• Sinar Mas Group: Golden Agri-Resources Ltd. operates two palm oil refineries with an
annual refining capacity of 840,000 tons.143
For details on foreign customers of the Sinar Mas Group see paragraph 2.3.1.
• Sungai Budi Group: PT Tunas Baru Lampung operates three palm oil and coconut oil
refineries in Lampung, South Sumatera and West Java.144
For details on foreign customers of the Sungai Budi Group see paragraph 2.3.1.
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• Wilmar Group: Wilmar Holdings Ltd. operates four palm oil refineries in Indonesia and
one in Malaysia with total palm oil refining capacity of 3.3 million tons per annum. The
Indonesian refineries are:
• PT Bukit Kapur Reksa

• PT Karya Prajona Nelayan
• PT Multimas Nabati Asahan
• PT Sinar Alam Permai
Wilmar claims to be the largest palm oil refiner as well as the largest exporter of palm oil,
palm kernel oil and related products in Indonesia. The company buys crude palm oil from
its own plantations and from a number of other plantations in Indonesia.145 For details see
paragraph 2.3.1.
Apart from refined palm oil and refined palm kernel oil, many of the refinery groups
mentioned in Table 21 also produce and export further processed products, such as
margarine, shortenings and soap. As these exports are mainly destined for the Asian market,
we will not elaborate on them here.
2.3.4 Manufacturers of margarine, shortenings and fats
Indonesia houses a limited number of manufacturers of margarine, shortenings and fats. The
following information is available on these companies and their exporting activities:
• Cahaya Kalbar Group: PT Cahaya Kalbar Tbk. is producing a wide range of speciality
fats such as cocoa butter and cocoa powder, cocoa butter replacer fats, confectionery
fats, coating fats and filling fats. Its products are used in chocolate and cocoa
confectioneries, bakeries, ice cream products, and general food related products. These
products are mainly made from cocoa, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, shea oil,
tengkawang fat and ilipe fat. Cahaya Kalbar does not own oil palm plantations itself, but
the company owns a palm kernel crushing plant and three edible oil refineries.146
Cahaya Kalbar exports its products worldwide, including to the Netherlands, Sweden and
England. Foreign customers buying speciality fats from the Cahaya Kalbar Group
include:147
• Britannia Food Ingredients United Kingdom

• Juremont Australia
• Theobroma The Netherlands
• Walter Rau Germany
• Salim Group: PT Intiboga Sejahtera, a subsidiary of the large food company PT Indofood
Sukses Makmur, has an annual margarine production capacity of 226,200 tons in Jakarta.
Consumer margarine is sold under the brand names Simas, Palmia and Amanda.
Industrial margarines and shortenings are sold under the brand names Palmia, Royal
Palmia, Queen’s, Simas, Vitamas, Amanda, Malinda and Delima. 148
PT Indofood Sukses Makmur controls 66 percent of the Indonesian margarine and fats
market. Around 12 percent of Indofood’s total sales are exported, to a total of 36
countries. PT Indofood Sukses Makmur is without doubt the largest Indonesian consumer
of CPO. But only 45 percent of its CPO need is sourced from its own oil palm
plantations.149
• Sinar Mas Group: The oil palm plantation company PT SMART also produces margarine
speciality fats as cacao butter substitutes, toffee fat, coating fat and butter substitute. The
output is probably largely sold on the domestic market.150
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• Wilmar Group: PT Karya Putrakreasi Nusantara produces speciality fats. 151
2.3.5 Oleochemical companies
Oleochemical production in Indonesia amounted to 712,012 tons in 2001. Fatty acid
production accounted for 67% of the total production. Fatty alcohol came second, followed by
stearic acid and glycerol (see paragraph 1.2.6). The usage of palm oil and palm kernel oil by
the oleochemical industry can be estimated at 783,000 tons, which equals 10% of the
Indonesian palm oil and palm kernel oil production in 2001 (see Table 11 and Table 12).152
Indonesian oleochemical exports amounted to 541,972 tons in 2001, or 76% of production
output. Among the most important export destinations were Spain (83,012 tons), the
Netherlands (40,709 tons) and Germany (9,680 tons). 153
Indonesia houses a number of oleochemical companies as indicated in Table 22. These

companies mainly belong to business groups owning oil palm plantations (see Table 18)
and/or palm oil refineries (see Table 21).
Table 22 Oleochemical companies in Indonesia

Country of ultimate Plantation Production capacity
Group
ownership ownership (tons/yr)
Aribhawana Utama Indonesia No 35,000
Bumi Flora & Parasawita Indonesia No 54,000
Cisadane Raya Indonesia Yes 120,000
Ecogreen Indonesia No 102,500
Imora Indonesia No 157,000
Musim Mas Indonesia Yes 180,000
Sinar Mas Indonesia / Japan Yes 88,000
Total 736,500
The following information is available on the exporting activities of these oleochemical

companies:
• Bumi Flora & Parasawita Groups: PT Flora Sawita Chemindo owns an oleochemical
production facility in Medan, North Sumatra, producing palm oil fatty acids and glycerine,
as well as coconut and other vegetable derived acids. Annual production capacity
amounts to 54,000 tonnes. Palm oil is supplied by its own plantations (see Table 18).154
• Cisadane Raya Group: PT Cisadane Raya Chemicals operates an oleochemical plant

with an annual capacity of 120,000 tonnes in Jakarta, including 70,000 tons of fatty acid,
15,000 tons of glycerine, 10,000 tons of distilled fatty acid and 25,000 tons of bar soap. As
inputs palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil are used. The production is sold
domestically and abroad. Palm oil is supplied by its own plantations and by plantations of
the Bakrie Group (see Table 18).155
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• Ecogreen Group: Ecogreen Oleochemicals is one of the worlds largest producers of
naturally fatty alcohols. The company owns plants in Batam (PT Batamas Megah) and
Medan (PT Prima Inti Perkasa), as well as in Germany. The two Indonesian plants of
Ecogreen have a combined annual capacity to produce 90,000 tons of fatty alcohols and
12,500 tons of glycerine. The main feedstock is palm kernel oil, sometimes supplemented
with coconut oil. This is supplied by plantations belonging to the Salim Group (see Table
18). Ecogreen Oleochemicals exports 95% of its products worldwide, 20% of which goes
to Europe. The company has a marketing office in Germany and long term lease storage
facilities in Rotterdam.156
Ecogreen Oleochemicals was formerly known as Salim Oleochemicals and was part of
the Salim Group. As part of the Salim Group’s debt restructuring, the company was
transferred to the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency in 1999. In November 2000,
IBRA sold the company to an international investment consortium comprising Bhakti
Investama (Indonesia) and Asia Debt Managers (Hong Kong) for a sum of US$ 131
million.157
At present Ecogreen is planning to expand fatty alcohol production by 20,000 tons per
year and to build a fatty acid plant in Medan with an annual capacity of 60,000 tons. The
International Finance Corporation is currently considering a US$ 30 million loan to finance
this expansion project.158
• Imora Group: PT Sumi Asih is one of the world's largest manufacturers of natural fatty
acids and their derivatives from palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil. Products include
fractionated fatty acids, stearic acids, hydrogenated coconut fatty acids and glycerine. The
plant in Jakarta has an annual production capacity of 90,000 tonnes fatty acids, 15,000
tons of glycerin and 32,000 tons of stearic acid (stabilizer) and metallic soap.159
Sumi Asih also has a joint-venture with the German company Goldschmidt (a subsidiary
of Degussa) producing betain, a shampoo additive, with an annual capacity of 20,000
tons.160
The export sales agent of Sumi Asih is Derifats Chemicals Sdn. Bhd. in Malaysia.161
In Europe Sumi Asih sells its products via the German trader Corichem AG. 162
• Musim Mas Group: The Musim Mas Group owns an oleochemical plant in Medan, North
Sumatra with an annual capacity of 60,000 tonnes of soap noodles and 120,000 tonnes of
fatty acids and glycerine (to be expanded to 240,000 tonnes in 2004). Export marketing is
the responsibility of its Malaysian subsidiary Musim Mastika (Malaysia).163
Musim Mas sells soap noodles in Europe via the German trader Corichem AG. 164
• Sinar Mas Group: PT Sinar Oleochemical International (SOCI) is a joint-venture between

the Indonesian oil palm plantation company PT SMART (40%, see paragraph 2.3.1) and
four Japanese companies: NOF, Shiseido, Marubeni and Hitachi Zosen. SOCI produces
glycerine and fatty acids from palm oil and palm kernel oil, supplied by plantations of the
Sinar Mas Group (see Table 18). The plant, located in Medan, has an annual capacity of
88,000 tonnes. The marketing office for export sales is Marubeni Chemical Asia Pacific
Pte. Ltd. in Singapore.165
2.3.6 Ports, storage and transport companies

Indonesian oil palm products are exported through a number of ports throughout Indonesia,
as indicated in Table 23.
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Table 23 Indonesian export ports for oil palm products
Port Province
Belawan North Sumatra
Cirebon West Java
Dumai Riau
Pulau Laut South-east Kalimantan
The following information is available on palm oil transport and storage companies operating
in/from these ports:
• Port of Cirebon: The port of Cirebon houses seven vegetable oil tanks with a total
storage capacity of 10,300 tons. It is likely that these tanks are mainly used for
transporting CPO to refineries in Java, as well as for the export of refined oil palm
products. The tanks are operated in cooperation with the port authority and:
• PT Marga Tulus ?
• PT Inti Boga Sejahtera Salim Group
• PT SMART Sinar Mas Group
New storage facilities are being built by PT Sawit Tunggal Artha Raya and PT Cahaya
Ratu Berlian.166
• Perkebunan Nusantara Group: The main CPO storage company in the Belawan port is
PT Deli Tama Indonesia, which owns 68 reservoir tanks for CPO and derivative products.
The company, which is part of the state-owned Perkebunan Nusantara Group, has a
storage capacity of 115,000 tons.
PT Deli Tama Indonesia collects and distributes CPO produced by Perkebunan Nusantara
plantation companies in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Lampung and in part of Java.167
In the fall of 1999 some Indonesian CPO-shipments in the port of Rotterdam (The
Netherlands) were found to be contaminated with diesel. This CPO came from the storage
tanks of PT Deli Tama Indonesia, which blamed its clients. Among these were:168
• PT Bert ?
• PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia Napan & Risjadson Groups
• PT Prima Paku Indah ?
• PT Salim Oil Salim Group
• PT SMART Sinar Mas Group
• Belawan Tanki Indonesia: An important palm oil tank storage company in the Belawan
port is PT Belawan Tanki Indonesia. Capacity is unknown. The company has the following
clients:169
• PT Asianagro Agungjaya Raja Garuda Mas Group

• PT Astra Agro Lestari Astra Agro Group
• PT Berlian Eka Sakti Tangguh Berlian Eka Group
• PT Bunge Agribusiness Indonesia Bunge Group
• PT Cakra Sapta Pratama
• PT Cargill Indonesia Cargill Group
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• PT Ecogreen Oleochemicals Ecogreen Group
• PT Gunung Melayu Raja Garuda Mas & Salim Groups
• PT Hari Sawit Jaya Raja Garuda Mas Group
• PT Indah Pontjan
• PT Indo Sepadan Jaya
• PT Inti Indosawit Subur Raja Garuda Mas & Salim Groups
• PT Marintan Jaya
• PT Pacific Indomas
• PT Palm Trimitra Indotama
• PT Pati Sari
• PT Perkasa Jaya
• PT PP London Sumatera Indonesia Napan & Risjadson Groups
• PT Sinar Fadillah Jaya
• PT Singamas Jaya Perdana
• PT Supra Matra Abadi Raja Garuda Mas Group
• PT Usaha Inti Padang
• Ud Bintang Terang
• Ud Kresindo
• Ud Saudara Jaya
• Ud Serba Guna
• Prima Palm Indah: Another palm oil tank storage company in the Belawan port is PT
Prima Palm Indah. One of its customers is PT PP London Sumatera Indonesia (Napan &
Risjadson Groups).170
• Salim Group: PT Sawitra Oil Grains owns edible oil storage tanks with a total capacity of
100,000 tons in Jakarta, Belawan and Cirebon.171
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Chapter 3 The European Union market for oil palm products
3.1 Usage of oil palm products in the European Union
3.1.1 EU palm oil imports

Table 24 gives an overview of the countries of origin of the palm oil imports into the
European Union. Palm oil imports into the EU increased by 92% since 1995 to 3.34 million
tonnes in 2002, equivalent to 13% of global palm oil usage.
Table 24 Palm oil imports into the EU (in 1,000 MT) 172
Malaysia 479 947 1,059 1,015 1,440 1,482 209% 44%
Indonesia 878 801 755 905 1,095 1,430 63% 43%
Papua New Guinea 239 195 279 330 352 341 43% 10%
Other countries 142 199 194 169 132 87 -39% 3%
Total 1,738 2,142 2,287 2,419 3,019 3,340 92% 100%
Indonesian palm oil imports into the European Union showed a growth of 63% since 1995,
but nevertheless its market share declined from 50% to 43%.173 The main reason for this was
the discovery in the fall of 1999 of some Indonesian diesel-contaminated CPO-shipments in
the port of Rotterdam (The Netherlands). This affair seriously hampered imports at the end of
1999 and the beginning of 2000. Some buyers switched to other suppliers, from which they
continued buying after attention to the affair faded.174
Malaysia clearly profited, trebling its palm oil exports to the EU over the past seven years.
The Malaysian market share is now 44%, slightly larger than the Indonesian market share
(43%).
Imports from Papua New Guinea are only growing slowly and now have a market share of
10%. Other producing countries do not play a significant role on the EU market. This is
despite the fact that most other palm oil producing countries have preferential access to the
EU-market, compared with Indonesia and Malaysia. EU import tariffs applicable to some of
the main palm oil producing countries are shown in Table 25.
Table 25 EU import tariffs for palm oil products (in %) 175

Product / Country Indonesia Papua New Guinea, Ivory Coast Thailand
Malaysia Nigeria, Ecuador, Colombia Brazil
Crude palm oil 3.8% 0% 0%
Refined palm oil (olein) 9.0% 0% 3.1%
Stearin 10.9% 0% 3.8%
Among the main palm oil producing countries (see Table 3), the normal EU import tariffs only
seem to apply to Indonesia and Malaysia. Based upon the Cotonou Treaty (formerly Lomé
Treaty) tropical oil exports from the ACP-countries (including Papua New Guinea, Ivory
Coast, Cameroon, Nigeria and the Solomon Islands) to the EU are exempt from import
tariffs.
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Within the Generalised System of Preferences the EU also imposes reduced import tariffs for
a large number of other oil palm producing countries. Palm oil exports to the EU from most
countries in Latin America (Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru and Venezuela.) are exempt from import tariffs to reward them
for their fight against drugs. Palm oil exports from a large number of other countries,
including Thailand and Brazil, are levied with a reduced tariff. 176
Table 26 Indonesian palm oil imports into the EU (in 1,000 MT) 177
Netherlands 258.3 282.4 284.2 391.6 387.5 556.5 115% 39%
Germany 188.6 183.1 145.3 236.3 267.7 347.0 84% 24%
United Kingdom 150.2 125.6 134.7 120.7 118.0 181.4 21% 13%
Spain 60.0 71.1 80.3 95.6 144.4 158.6 164% 11%
France 3.2 5.7 13.0 10.6 58.5 82.5 2,578% 6%
Belgium/Luxemburg 77.3 50.0 39.3 19.1 45.1 40.4 -48% 3%
Italy 107.5 44.7 46.0 23.3 46.9 31.3 -71% 2%
Greece 4.3 11.0 5.9 5.5 12.5 12.5 213% 1%
Denmark 16.1 16.3 0.0 0.2 5.7 11.3 -31% 1%
Portugal 8.8 9.6 5.1 1.8 8.8 8.1 -10% 1%
Ireland 1.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 -100% 0%
Sweden 1.5 1.1 0.6 0.2 0.0 0.0 -100% 0%
Austria 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 -100% 0%
Total 878 801 755 905 1,095 1,430 63% 100%
As is shown in Table 26, the Netherlands is the most important market in the European
Union for Indonesian palm oil. Dutch oil palm imports increased by 115% since 1995 and its
market share has now reached 39%. However, a large part of these Dutch oil palm imports
are re-exported, mostly to other EU-countries. Actual Indonesian palm oil imports of some
other EU-countries are therefore higher than shown in Table 26.
Other major EU-markets for Indonesian palm oil are Germany (24% of total EU-imports) and
the United Kingdom. Others showing strong growth figures are Spain (11%) and France
(6%). Other EU-markets are not important or stopped all (direct) palm oil imports from
Indonesia.
Of total Indonesian palm oil exports to the European Union 65% consisted of crude palm oil
and 35% of refined palm oil.178
3.1.2 EU palm kernel oil imports
Table 27 gives an overview of the countries of origin of the palm kernel oil (PKO) imports into
the European Union. PKO imports into the EU increased by 81% since 1995 to 568,000
tonnes in 2002, equivalent to 19% of global PKO usage (see table 1.3).
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Table 27 PKO imports in the EU by country of origin (in 1,000 MT) 179
Malaysia 75 105 129 84 83 102 36% 18%
Indonesia 208 254 320 340 327 436 110% 77%
Papua New Guinea 13 19 25 25 23 24 85% 4%
Other countries 18 28 42 35 9 6 -67% 1%
Total 314 406 516 484 442 568 81% 100%
With a market share of 77%, Indonesia is much more dominant in the European PKO market
than it is in the European palm oil market (43%, see Table 24). This is mainly caused by the
fact that Malaysia (18% market share) is processing most of its palm kernel oil production
domestically in its oleochemical industry.
Table 28 Indonesian PKO imports into the EU (in 1,000 MT) 180
Germany 85.5 93.1 148.4 151.9 164.2 247.5 189% 57%
Netherlands 40.2 80.8 99.2 78.5 48.4 49.4 23% 11%
Belgium/Luxemburg 13.4 13.3 7.5 34.5 28.1 36.5 172% 8%
United Kingdom 15.0 19.2 17.1 16.5 34.9 36.2 141% 8%
Spain 23.8 21.5 19.2 30.8 29.6 32.7 37% 7%
Italy 15.6 9.0 12.8 13.6 13.3 17.5 12% 4%
France 7.0 7.3 9.5 7.8 4.3 14.0 100% 3%
Portugal 0.0 1.0 0.6 0.1 1.6 1.7 >100% 0%
Greece 0.2 1.6 1.2 2.2 2.2 0.9 350% 0%
Denmark 5.7 6.7 4.5 4.5 0.0 0.0 -100% 0%
Sweden 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 -100% 0%
Total 208 254 320 340 327 436 110% 100%
As shown in Table 28, Germany is the most important EU market for Indonesian palm kern
oil by far, with a share of 57% of total EU imports. The Netherlands (11%), Belgium (8%) the
United Kingdom (8%) and Spain (7%) follow behind.
3.1.3 Edible oils usage in the European Union
Total edible oil usage in the European Union increased by 20% since 1995, as is shown in
Table 29. Palm oil usage showed a growth of 90%, which is more than that of any other
edible oil. Palm oil now has a 17% market share and is the second most consumed edible oil
in the EU.
Palm kernel oil usage in the EU increased by 72% since 1995, giving PKO a 3% share of the
EU edible oils market.
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Table 29 Usage of edible oils in the EU (in 1,000 MT) 181
Rapeseed oil 2,160 2,619 2,988 3,291 3,373 3,356 55% 18%
Palm oil 1,689 2,051 2,168 2,368 2,855 3,211 90% 17%
Soybean oil 2,029 1,876 1,798 1,717 1,979 2,094 3% 11%
Olive oil 1,484 1,732 1,810 1,893 1,948 1,950 31% 10%
Sunflower oil 1,957 2,092 2,132 2,101 2,032 1,922 -2% 10%
Butter (as fat) 1,425 1,505 1,543 1,542 1,535 1,510 6% 8%
Lard 1,295 1,395 1,449 1,402 1,370 1,400 8% 7%
Palm kernel oil 317 385 501 465 430 545 72% 3%
Other edible oils 3,293 3,189 2,852 2,991 2,953 2,805 -15% 15%
Total 15,650 16,844 17,241 17,770 18,475 18,793 20% 100%
3.1.4 EU palm kernel meal imports

Table 30 gives an overview of the countries of origin of the palm kernel meal (PKM) imports
into the European Union. Since 1995 PKM imports into the EU have increased by 22% to 2.4
million tonnes, equalling 64% of global PKM usage (see Table 7).
Table 30 PKM imports in the EU by country of origin (in 1,000 MT) 182
Malaysia 1,387 1,294 1,288 1,330 1,314 1,360 -2% 58%
Indonesia 351 504 719 756 725 887 152% 38%
Nigeria 162 168 182 132 101 67 -59% 3%
Other countries 35 22 37 45 53 46 31% 2%
Total 1,935 1,988 2,226 2,263 2,193 2,360 22% 100%
With a market share of 58%, Malaysia is the most important supplier on the European PKM
market, but the growth in volume of Malaysian PKM supplies to the EU is stagnant. As PKM
imports from Nigeria are declining and other supply countries only play a minimal role, the
growth in EU PKM imports over the past seven years is accounted for solely by the growth in
Indonesian exports. Indonesia has increased its share of the EU PKM market from 18% to
38%.
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Table 31 Indonesian PKM imports into the EU (in 1,000 MT) 183
Netherlands 159.1 245.0 317.2 370.0 282.5 411.8 159% 46%
Germany 100.4 125.0 236.7 199.0 222.7 196.5 96% 22%
United Kingdom 33.8 77.8 78.1 74.7 66.5 85.8 154% 10%
Portugal 0.0 0.0 0.0 7.5 31.0 40.2 >100% 5%
Ireland 33.5 29.8 44.8 57.9 12.1 34.2 2% 4%
France 0.3 6.2 5.0 12.6 27.9 31.1 >1000% 4%
Sweden 2.2 3.5 7.3 15.8 13.1 24.7 >1000% 3%
Spain 11.1 3.7 23.4 5.0 35.2 24.2 118% 3%
Italy 6.2 2.9 0.0 10.3 8.9 21.1 240% 2%
Belgium/Luxemburg 4.3 10.3 6.0 2.8 25.1 17.4 305% 2%
Total 351 504 719 756 725 887 152% 100%
As shown in Table 31, The Netherlands are the most important EU market for Indonesian
palm kernel oil by far, with a share of 46% of total EU imports. However, a large part of these
Dutch PKM imports are exported again, mostly to other EU-countries. Actual Indonesian
PKM imports of some other EU-countries are therefore higher than shown in Table 31.
Other important PKM markets in the EU are Germany (22%) and the United Kingdom (10%).
Portugal, France and Sweden are also significant.
3.2 Sectors in the EU oil palm production chain
3.2.1 International edible oil trading sector

Obviously, the international traders in (bulk) edible oil products play a principal role in
bringing oil palm products from Indonesia to Europe. Different from other stages in the supply
chain, there are very many companies involved in this stage and presenting a full overview is
difficult. Generally, four types of traders are involved:
• European trading subsidiaries of Indonesian and Malaysian oil palm plantation companies
or refineries. Some of the Indonesian producers and refineries have set up European
trading subsidiaries, which can buy oil palm products from their sister companies as well
as from other producers. Examples are Kumpulan Guthrie in the UK, Perkebunan
Nusantara and Golden Hope in Germany and Johor in the Netherlands.
• The trading arms of the major European edible oil refining companies. To supply their
European refineries and crushing plants, these companies set up trading companies
buying palm oil, palm kernel oil and palm kernels in Indonesia. The two most important
examples are the American giants Cargill and ADM, which source oil palm products from
their own plantations and refineries in Indonesia but also from other producers. Smaller
examples are the refineries of Soctek (Netherlands), Golden Hope (Netherlands),
Karlshamns (Sweden) and Aarhus (UK).
• Procurement divisions of major European food, detergent and chemical companies.
These companies often procure oil palm products directly from producers in Indonesia,
either in refined form (which can be used directly) or in crude from (which probably is
refined on a contract basis). Major examples are Unilever, Henkel, Migros.
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• Independent edible oil traders and brokers. Apart from the three types of integrated
traders, a large number of independent edible oil traders are active in the sector. They sell
to European refining and processing industries which either lack a procurement division or
have a temporary demand exceeding their regular supply. Most of these independent
traders and brokers are fairly small, with the exception of Safic-Alcan (France).
3.2.2 Edible oil transport and storage sector
Oil palm products are transported from Indonesia to Europe by edible oil bulk carriers,
chartered by the traders mentioned in paragraph 3.2.1. The carriers are discharged (and
sometimes temporarily stored) in various European ports, among which Rotterdam is the
most important. From these ports the oil palm products are transported by ship and truck to
refineries and processing industries. Important transport and storage companies involved in
these activities are C.Koole (Netherlands), Vopak (Netherlands) and ITC Holland
(Netherlands).
3.2.3 Oilseed crushing and refining industry
In the European oil palm product chain the European oilseed crushing industry is not of high
importance, as non-crushed palm kernels are hardly imported in the European Union.
But edible oil refineries play a very important role, as almost all European imports of palm oil
and palm kernel oil are processed by European edible oil refineries. Of total Indonesian palm
oil exports to the European Union 65% consisted of crude palm oil and 35% of refined palm
oil.184
Apart from refining all imports of crude palm oil and palm kernel oil, imports of refined palm
oil and palm kernel oil are often refined again by European edible oil refineries to remove
remaining or new impurities. Oil palm products are often shipped to Europe using tankers
and shore facilities which do not meet the standards of a European food manufacturer. 185
The most important edible oil refining companies in Europe, ranked by market share in 1998,
were:186

• ADM United States
• Cereol, which is now part of Bunge United States
• Unilever United Kingdom / Netherlands
But since then Unilever has sold its edible oil refineries in the Netherlands (to Golden Hope),
United Kingdom (to ADM) and Germany. The dominance of the three American refineries
therefore has increased since 1998.
The European organisations for the oilseed crushing and refining industries are organized in
FEDIOL (EC Oilseed Crushers’ and Oil Processors’ Federation).
3.2.4 Oil packing sector
A small part of the European palm oil imports is packed in bottles or small containers directly
after the refining stage. These are sold to consumers and the foodservice markets both
inside and outside Europe for cooking and frying. The most important oil packing companies
in Europe, ranked by market share in 1998, were:187
• Lesieur, which is now part of Bunge United States

• AOP, which is now part of Cargill United States
• Unilever United Kingdom / Netherlands
• Pura Foods, which is now part of ADM United States
• Brökelmann & Co. Germany
-51-
These large oil packers - which do not all sell palm oil - generally own edible oil refineries as
well. But on a national level a lot of smaller companies without refining capacity are active on
the oil packing market as well. They buy palm oil in bulk from traders or refineries, pack it
and sell it.
3.2.5 Margarine and spreads industry
Probably the most important palm oil consuming sector in the European Union is the
margarine and spreads industry. According to the International Margarine Association of the
Countries of Europe (IMACE), which regroups 21 national margarine associations, the total
production of margarine and fat spreads in the EU amounted to 2,191,301 tonnes in 2001.
The four biggest producing countries are Germany (573,973 tonnes), United Kingdom
(409,200 tonnes), Belgium (278,789 tonnes) and the Netherlands (262,006 tonnes).188
3.2.6 Biscuit, chocolate and confectionery industry
The European biscuit, chocolate and confectionery industry is an important consumer of
palm oil and palm kernel oil. Palm oil is especially used on a large scale in biscuits, cakes
and (fresh) pastry.189
Palm oil can also be used in chocolate and related products. After 27 years of negotiations,
the European Union adopted a new Chocolate Directive in May 2000, which sets out rules for
the ingredients and labelling of chocolate products. Chocolate with up to 5% of substitutes for
cocoa butter can now officially be called chocolate all over the European Union. Apart from
palm oil, illipe, sal, shea, kokum gurgi and mango kernel oils are permitted by the Chocolate
Directive as substitutes for cocoa butter, as long as their usage is indicated properly on the
label of the product.190
Chocolate producers had been lobbying for this for years. It was often assumed they were
mainly interested in the cost reduction resulting from a substitution of expensive cacao butter
by cheaper tropical oils. But in fact the price of Cocoa Butter Equivalents (CBEs) is only
slightly lower, or sometimes even higher, than that of cacao butter. Most commonly, CBEs
are the result of a specific blending of three tropical fats: shea nut butter, palm oil and illipe
nut butter. Although the crude oils are cheaper than cocoa they all have to undergo
significant processing and blending and this brings the prices of the blended CBEs closer to
those of cocoa butter. 191
The main reason for the industry to lobby for allowing CBEs, was that the shelf life of
chocolate bars would be increased. It prevents the formation of fat bloom, a white
discoloration generated by heat. Fat bloom, common in summer and in warmer climates or
resulting from temperature changes, is a major source of consumer complaints. Also, CBEs
may improve fat stability, texture and gloss, as well as hardness and snap, especially in
chocolate products with a high-milk content. 192
However, over the years, technical improvements in the chocolate production process
reduced the importance of these technical arguments. When the Chocolate Directive finally
came into force in August 2003, most producers of chocolate bars said that there would be
no change to their current recipes. Cocoa constitutes only 10% to 15% of the total production
costs and the price advantage would therefore not outweigh the disadvantage of losing the
label pure chocolate. Also, the Chocolate Directive is expected to bring down the price of
cacao butter. 193
Sources within the industry therefore expect that the Chocolate Directive will most affect the
makers of biscuits and chocolate-covered products since the incorporation of vegetable oils
makes chocolate more pliable and sticky - key properties for such manufacturers.194
3.2.7 Snacks, chips and crisps industry

Large scale industrial frying in Europe and Asia is probably the largest application of palm
oil.195
-52-
3.2.8 Soap, detergents and cosmetics industries
Annually 2.2 million tons of surfactants are used in the European Union, mainly by the soap,
detergents and cosmetics industries. Most of these surfactants are based upon fatty alcohols
derived from lauric oils (palm kernel oil or coconut oil). Figure 10 shows how the usage of
fatty alcohols in the EU is distributed by fields of application (I+I = industrial and institutional
cleaning). 196
Figure 10. Surfactant usage in Europe
-53-
Chapters 4 - 6
Chapters 4 – 6 of this research are available on request from Friends of the Earth
Chapter 4 – The market for oil palm products in the Netherlands

Chapter 5 – The market for oil palm products in the United Kingdom
Chapter 6 – The market for oil palm products in Sweden
To obtain copies of these chapters, please contact:

Robin Webster
Friends of the Earth, 26 – 28 Underwood Street, London N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7566 1720
robinw@foe.co.uk
-54-
Annex 1 Notes
1 Annual Report 2000, Sipef NV, Schoten, May 2001; Palm Oil, Kurt Berger, Article on website Britannia Food
(www.britanniafood.com), Viewed in August 2003.
2 Palm Oil, Kurt Berger, Article on website Britannia Food (www.britanniafood.com), Viewed in August 2003.
3 Commodity Analysis Palm Oil, ISTA Mielke, Hamburg, March 2003.
4 Annual Report 2000, Sipef NV, Schoten, May 2001.
5 The World of Edible Oils, H.D. Glaudemans, M.M.J. Timmermans and H. Rijkse, Rabobank Food and
Agriculture Research Department, Utrecht, August 1998; Annual Report 2000, Sipef NV, Schoten, May
2001.
2001.
Agriculture Research Department, Utrecht, August 1998; Small-Scale Palm Oil Processing in Africa, Kwasi
Poku, FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 148, Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,
Rome, 2002.
8 Oil World Annual 2003, ISTA Mielke, Hamburg, May 2003.
Agriculture Research Department, Utrecht, August 1998.
Agriculture Research Department, Utrecht, August 1998.
12 Palm Kernel Oil - Origin, Commerce, Properties and Uses, T.P. Pantzaris and Mohd Jaaffar Ahmad, Palm
Oil Research Institute of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, April 2001.
13 Website University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Ag-Based Industrial Lubricants (ABIL) Research Program
(www.bcs.uni.edu/abil), Viewed in December 2003.
14 Chemical Reactions of Oil, Fat and Fat Based Products, Department of Chemical Engineering, Instituto
Superior Técnico, Lisbon (Portugal), October 1997; Website Unilever Bestfoods UK (www.vdbfoods.co.uk),
Viewed in December 2003.
15 Website Unilever Bestfoods UK (www.vdbfoods.co.uk), Viewed in December 2003; Website Tradepoint

(www.tradepointbv.com), Viewed in December 2003.
16 Website University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Ag-Based Industrial Lubricants (ABIL) Research Program
(www.bcs.uni.edu/abil), Viewed in December 2003.
17 Website Tradepoint (www.tradepointbv.com), Viewed in December 2003.
18 Website Tradepoint (www.tradepointbv.com), Viewed in December 2003.
19 Website Unilever Bestfoods UK (www.vdbfoods.co.uk), Viewed in December 2003.
20 An overview of the ASEAN Oleochemical Market, Ting Kueh Soon, Malaysian Oil Scientists’ and
Technologists’ Association (MOSTA), Presentation at The Second World Oleochemicals Conference, 5 & 6
December 2000, Amsterdam.
-55-
23 Oils And Fats In The New Millennium: The Use Of Technology To Meet Consumer Demand, K.G. Berger,
Presentation at the OFIC 2000 Conference, 4 September 2000, Kuala Lumpur.
24 New Oleochemical Surfactants, A. Behler, Cognis Deutschland GmbH, Düsseldorf, Germany, in: Chemical-
Technical Utilisation of Vegetable Oils - Final Conference proceedings, Bonn (Germany), 20-21 June 2000.
25 Surfactants and Cosmetics, M. Hagen, FNR, Germany, in: Chemical-Technical Utilisation of Vegetable Oils
- Final Conference proceedings, Bonn (Germany), 20-21 June 2000.
27 Oleochemical Feedstocks Face Downward Pricing, Jennifer Markarian, Chemical Market Reporter, 22
January 2001.
28 Pocketbook of Palm Oil Uses, Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM), Kuala Lumpur, March
1997; The World of Edible Oils, H.D. Glaudemans, M.M.J. Timmermans and H. Rijkse, Rabobank Food and
2001.
31 Oil World Annual 2000, ISTA Mielke, Hamburg, May 2000; Oil World Annual 2003, ISTA Mielke, Hamburg,
May 2003.
May 2003.
May 2003.
34 Palm oil production to dip this year, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 30 March 2001.
May 2003.
May 2003.
May 2003.
38 The World Markets for Oilseeds and Oilseed Products, R. Craemer, LMC International, Oxford, United
Kingdom, in: Chemical-Technical Utilisation of Vegetable Oils - Final Conference proceedings, Bonn
(Germany), 20-21 June 2000.
May 2003.
-56-
40 Annual Report 2000, Sipef NV, Schoten, May 2001.
41 The Hesitant Boom: Indonesia’s oil palm sub-sector in an era of economic crisis and political change, Anne
Casson, CIFOR Occasional Paper No. 29, Centre for International Forestry Research, Jakarta, June 2000.
2001.
Casson, CIFOR Occasional Paper No. 29, Centre for International Forestry Research, Jakarta, June 2000;
CPO industry still open for new investment, Indonesian Commercial Newsletter, Jakarta, 11 March 2003.
47 Palm oil push by Indonesia: Lower costs are giving growers the chance to catch Malaysia, James Kynge
and Sander Thoenes, Financial Times, London, 8 October 1997; The Hesitant Boom: Indonesia’s oil palm
sub-sector in an era of economic crisis and political change, Anne Casson, CIFOR Occasional Paper No.
29, Centre for International Forestry Research, Jakarta, June 2000.
48 CPO industry still open for new investment, Indonesian Commercial Newsletter, Jakarta, 11 March 2003.
49 Funding Forest Destruction - The Involvement of Dutch Banks in the Financing of Oil Palm Plantations in
Indonesia, Research commissioned by Greenpeace Netherlands, Eric Wakker, Jan Willem van Gelder and
Telapak Sawit Research Team, AIDEnvironment, Amsterdam, March 2000.
Casson, CIFOR Occasional Paper No. 29, Centre for International Forestry Research, Jakarta, June 2000;
Indonesian Directorate General of Estate Crop Production, cited in: Oil Palm, Soybeans & Critical Habitat
Loss, Anne Casson, Internal report for WWF International, 25 August 2003.
May 2003.
May 2003.
54 CPO exports to increase to 6.2m tons, Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 23 December
2002.
55 Commodity Analysis Palm Oil, Oil World, Hamburg, March 2003.
May 2003.
57 CPO producers convene to resolve problems, Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 21
December 2002; CPO industry still open for new investment, Indonesian Commercial Newsletter, Jakarta,
11 March 2003; Devisa Ekspor CPO Diprediksi Naik 12%, Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta, 13 May 2003.
-57-
58 Oil Palm in Indonesia: Its Role in Forest Conversion and the Fires of 1997/98, L.Potter and J.Lee, Report for
WWF Indonesia, Jakarta, 1998; CPO industry still open for new investment, Indonesian Commercial
Newsletter, Jakarta, 11 March 2003.
59 Financing of the Indonesian oil palm sector - A research paper prepared for WWF Asia & Pacific Forest
Program and WWF Indonesia, Jan Willem van Gelder, Profundo, July 2003.
Program and WWF Indonesia, Jan Willem van Gelder, Profundo, July 2003.
62 Website OANDA (www.oanda.com), Viewed in June 2003.
64 Curb measure on CPO export explained, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 19 December 1997; Indonesian Palm
Oil Sector, M. Sutedja, ABN Amro Hoare Govett, London, 10 July 1998; Government slashes CPO export
tax to 10 percent, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 3 July 1999; Govt mulls raising export tax on crude palm oil,
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 16 March 2001; CPO industry still open for new investment, Indonesian
Commercial Newsletter, Jakarta, 11 March 2003.
66 Land for Oil Palm Plantations Limited - New Investors Required to Build Processing Plant, Indonesian
Commercial Newsletter, Jakarta, 25 May 1999; The Hesitant Boom: Indonesia’s oil palm sub-sector in an
era of economic crisis and political change, Anne Casson, CIFOR Occasional Paper No. 29, Centre for
International Forestry Research, Jakarta, June 2000.
68 Oil palm plantations: Doing more harm than good?, Charlie Pye-Smith, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 6
February 2001.
70 Milieudefensie en Greenpeace boeken gedeeltelijk succes bij banken: Geen geld meer voor vernietiging
tropisch regenwoud, Press Release of Milieudefensie and Greenpeace, Amsterdam, 31 October 2001.
72 Indonesia licenses 74 firms to open palm oil plantations, Antara, Jakarta, 28 February 2003; 74 companies
to build oil palm plantations worth Rp 17.3 trillion, Indonesian Commercial Newsletter, 25 March 2003.
73 Indonesia Builds Palm Mills On Build,Op,Transfer Basis, Denny Kurien, Dow Jones Newswires, Jakarta, 15
July 2002; S Sumatra Needs Companies That Would Process CPO, Antara, Jakarta, 7 January 2003.
May 2003.
May 2003.
May 2003.
-58-
Program and WWF Indonesia, Jan Willem van Gelder, Profundo, July 2003; Annual Report 2002, PPB
Group Berhad, Kuala Lumpur, March 2003; Company profile, PT Musim Mas, Jakarta, June 2003; Website
Wilmar Holdings (www.wilmarco.com), Viewed in December 2003; Website Dutapalma Nusantara
(www.dutapalma.co.id), Viewed in December 2003; Website Cisadane Raya Chemicals
(www.cisadane.com), Viewed in December 2003; Website Pacific Rim Palm Oil (www.prpol.com), Viewed in
January 2004.
78 Annual Report 2000, PT Astra Agro Lestari Tbk., Jakarta, April 2001; Anonymous source, April 2003.
79 Brochure Cargill Indonesia, Cargill Inc., Minneapolis, January 2003.
80 Anonymous source, April 2003.
81 Prospectus for the IPO of Agri-Resources Ltd., Singapore, 2 July 1999;
82 Annual Report 2000, PT Astra Agro Lestari Tbk., Jakarta, April 2001.
83 Annual Report 2002, PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia Tbk., Jakarta, May 2003.
84 Sipef boekte in eerste vier maanden winst van 1,5 miljoen euro; door uitzonderlijke verkopen, De
Financieel-Economische Tijd, Antwerp, 14 June 2001.
85 Kulim (Malaysia) Bhd - Company Report, Y.H. Wong, Merrill Lynch Capital Markets, 13 October 1997; PNG
palm oil company's float on course despite low prices, The Public Ledger, Tunbridge Wells, 18 June 1999;
Politics has scuppered Kulim's plan to sell off New Britain Palm Oil, Malcolm Surry, Asian Business, 1
August 1999.
86 Website Pacific Rim Palm Oil (www.prpol.com), Viewed in January 2004.
88 Website Paul Tiefenbacher (www.paul-tiefenbacher.de), Viewed in December 2003.
89 Annual Report 2002, Golden Hope Plantations Bhd., Kuala Lumpur, April 2003.
90 Delivering Quality And Food Safety To The European Palm Oil Consumer - Presentation given at SCI Oils &
Fats Group Conference "Contribution of Palm Oil to the Food Industry", Ralph Timms (Britannia Food
Ingredients Ltd.), Goole, 3 June 2003.
91 Website EPA Management (www.epa.com.my), Viewed in December 2003.
92 Website Guthrie Symington (www.gsymconnect.com), Viewed in August 2003.
94 Annual Report 2002, PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia Tbk., Jakarta, April 2003.
95 Annual Report 2002, PPB Group Berhad, Kuala Lumpur, March 2003; Website PPB Group
(www.ppbgroup.com), Viewed in December 2003.
97 London Sumatra assures tainted CPO not for human consumption, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 15 December
1999.
98 Annual Report 1996, PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia Tbk., Jakarta, April 1997; Annual Report 1997, PT
PP London Sumatra Indonesia Tbk., Jakarta, April 1998; Annual Report 1998, PT PP London Sumatra
Indonesia Tbk., Jakarta, April 1999; Annual Report 1999, PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia Tbk., Jakarta,
April 2000; Annual Report 2002, PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia Tbk., Jakarta, April 2003.
-59-
99 Annual Report 1996, PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia Tbk., Jakarta, April 1997; Annual Report 1997, PT
PP London Sumatra Indonesia Tbk., Jakarta, April 1998; Annual Report 1998, PT PP London Sumatra
Indonesia Tbk., Jakarta, April 1999; Annual Report 1999, PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia Tbk., Jakarta,
April 2000; Annual Report 2002, PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia Tbk., Jakarta, April 2003.
100 Kuok buys 47% of Lonsum of Indonesia, The Star, Kuala Lumpur, 6 January 2004.
102 Website Indoham (www.indoham.com), Viewed in December 2003.
104 Sipef boekte in eerste vier maanden winst van 1,5 miljoen euro; door uitzonderlijke verkopen, De
Financieel-Economische Tijd, Antwerp, 14 June 2001.
105 Edible Oils & Fats Group, Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency, Jakarta, 29 September 2003.
106 Indofood to boost food business with expansion, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 3 March 1997; Annual Report
1997, Indofood Sukses Makmur, Jakarta, May 1998; Annual Report 2000, Indofood Sukses Makmur,
Jakarta, May 2001; Annual Report 2001, Indofood Sukses Makmur, Jakarta, May 2002; Anonymous source,
April 2003.
107 Annual report 2002, PT Tunas Baru Lampung Tbk., Jakarta, April 2003.
108 Annual Report 2000, Golden Agri-Resources Ltd., Singapore, May 2001.
109 Prospectus for the IPO of Agri-Resources Ltd., Singapore, 2 July 1999; Annual report 2000, PT SMART
Tbk., Jakarta, April 2001; Anonymous source, April 2003.
110 Palm oil nepotism adds fuel to disaster, George J. Aditjondro, Australian Financial Review, Sydney, 13
October 1997.
111 Project number 20348: Wilmar Trading - Summary of Project Information (SPI), International Finance
Corporation, Washington, 6 November 2003.
112 Website Wilmar Holdings (www.wilmarco.com), Viewed in August 2003.
114 Annual report 2000, PT Astra Agro Lestari Tbk., Jakarta, April 2001.
116 Annual Report 2000, Indofood Sukses Makmur, Jakarta, May 2001.
117 Kulim (Malaysia) Bhd - Company Report, Y.H. Wong, Merrill Lynch Capital Markets, 13 October 1997.
May 2003.
120 Website Socfin (www.socfin.be), Viewed in December 2003.
121 Website Cahaya Kalbar (www.cahayakalbar.com), Viewed in December 2003.
122 Website Dutapalma Nusantara (www.dutapalma.co.id), Viewed in December 2003.
-60-
May 2003.
128 A Profile Of Indonesia's Cooking Oil Industry, Asia Pulse Analysts, Jakarta, April 1999.
129 A Profile Of Indonesia's Cooking Oil Industry, Asia Pulse Analysts, Jakarta, April 1999.
130 Website Bakrie Sumatera Plantations (www.bakriesumatera.com), viewed in December 2003.
131 Website Socfin (www.socfin.be), Viewed in December 2003.
133 Website Cisadane Raya Chemicals (www.cisadane.com), Viewed in December 2003.
134 Website Dutapalma Nusantara (www.dutapalma.co.id), Viewed in December 2003.
135 Company profile, PT Musim Mas, Jakarta, June 2003.
136 Annual report 2000, PT Astra Agro Lestari Tbk., Jakarta, April 2001.
138 Website Musim Mas (www.musimmas.com), Viewed in December 2003.
141 Website Asian Agri (www.asianagri.com), Viewed in March 2003.
142 Website Intiboga Sejahtera (www.intiboga.com), Viewed in December 2003.
144 Tunas Baru Lampung To Go Public Next Year, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 27 November 1999; Good
Prospects At Home And Abroad, Ruddy K. Gobel, Indonesian Business, Jakarta, March 2000.
147 Annual Report 2002, PT Cahaya Kalbar Tbk., Jakarta, April 2003.
148 Edible Oils & Fats Group, Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency, Jakarta, 29 September 2003; Website
Intiboga Sejahtera (www.intiboga.com), Viewed in December 2003.
149 Annual Report 2000, PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk., Jakarta, May 2001; AFP Enters Into Strategic
Partnership with Indofood for its Palm Oil Businesses in Indonesia, Press Release Golden Agri-Resources
Ltd., Singapore, 10 May 2001; Annual Report 2001, PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk., Jakarta, May 2002;
Indofood 2002 Financial Results, Press Release PT Indofood Sukses Makmur, Jakarta, 24 March 2003.
-61-
150 Website SMART (www.smart-tbk.com), Viewed in December 2003.
152 Oleochemical Production Up 8% Annually, Indonesian Commercial Newsletter, Jakarta, 8 October 2002.
153 Export market still wide open for oleochemicals, Indonesian Commercial Newsletter, Jakarta, 14 January
2003.
154 Website Flora Sawita Chemindo (www.florasawita.com), Viewed in December 2003.
2003; Website Cisadane Raya Chemicals (www.cisadane.com), Viewed in December 2003.
2003; Environmental Review Summary Project number 11696 / Ecogreen, International Finance
Corporation, Washington, 26 September 2003; Website Ecogreen Oleochemicals (www.ecogreenoleo.net),
Viewed in December 2003.
157 Holdiko Sells Salim Oleochemicals Group For USD131 Million To a Local Consortium, Press release PT
Holdiko Perkasa, Jakarta, 21 November 2000; IBRA Sells a Controlling Stake In Salim's Oleochemicals
Group, Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal, New York, 22 November 2000.
158 Environmental Review Summary Project number 11696 / Ecogreen, International Finance Corporation,
Washington, 26 September 2003.
159 PT Sumi Asih Manufacturing Profile, PT Sumi Asih, Jakarta, 8 August 2002; Oleochemical Production Up
8% Annually, Indonesian Commercial Newsletter, Jakarta, 8 October 2002; Website Sumi Asih
(www.sumiasih.com), Viewed in December 2003.
160 Oleochemical Production Up 8% Annually, Indonesian Commercial Newsletter, Jakarta, 8 October 2002.
161 Website Derifats Chemicals (www.green-n-natural.com/sumiasih/), Viewed in December 2003.
162 Website Corichem (www.corichem.de), Viewed in December 2003.
164 Website Corichem (www.corichem.de), Viewed in December 2003.
2003; Website Sinar Oleochemical International (www.soci.co.id), Viewed in December 2003.
166 Website Port of Cirebon (www.cirebonport.co.id), Viewed in December 2003.
168 Not All Of Indonesia's CPO Exports To Rotterdam Stopped, Antara, Jakarta, 7 December 1999; 1,400 tons
of CPO from Deli Tama tanks to be tendered, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 14 December 1999; The Achilles
Heel Of The Giant, Teguh K. Prasetyo, Indonesian Business, Jakarta, January 2000.
169 Website Belawan Tanki Indonesia (www.bti.co.id), Viewed in December 2003.
170 London Sumatra assures tainted CPO not for human consumption, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 15 December
1999.
-62-
May 2003.
173 Comparing Table 19 with Table 15 shows that Indonesian palm oil exports to the EU are usually higher than
EU palm oil imports from Indonesia. This difference probably is caused by transit of Indonesian palm oil via
European ports to non-EU countries.
174 Not All Of Indonesia's CPO Exports To Rotterdam Stopped, Antara, Jakarta, 7 December 1999; The
Achilles Heel Of The Giant, Teguh K. Prasetyo, Indonesian Business, Jakarta, January 2000.
175 Nieuwsflits Handelspolitiek No. 30, Frans Köster, Productschap Margarine, Vetten en Oliën, Rijswijk, 11
December 2001.
176 Nieuwsflits Handelspolitiek No. 30, Frans Köster, Productschap Margarine, Vetten en Oliën, Rijswijk, 11
December 2001.
May 2003.
May 2003.
May 2003.
May 2003.
May 2003.
May 2003.
185 Delivering Quality And Food Safety To The European Palm Oil Consumer - Presentation given at SCI Oils &
Fats Group Conference "Contribution of Palm Oil to the Food Industry", Ralph Timms (Britannia Food
Ingredients Ltd.), Goole, 3 June 2003.
186 Regulation (EEC) No 4064/89 Merger Procedure - Case No IV/M.1126 - Cargill / Vandemoortele, European
Commission, Brussels, 20 July 1998.
187 Regulation (EEC) No 4064/89 Merger Procedure - Case No IV/M.1227 - Cargill / Vandemoortele JV,
European Commission, Brussels, 20 July 1998.
188 Website IMACE (www.imace.org), Viewed in September 2003.
189 Edible Fats and Oils in relation to sugar confectionery, chocolate and fine bakery wares, IOCCC, Brussels,
August 2001.
190 Chocolate box closed at last, Eurofood, 6 July 2000.
191 Chocolate Directive - Background Information, Fediol, Brussels 2001.
192 Chocolate Directive - Background Information, Fediol, Brussels 2001.
193 Chocolate makers keep recipes, Tim Probert, The Public Ledger, Tunbridge Wells, 11 August 2003.
-63-
194 Chocolate makers keep recipes, Tim Probert, The Public Ledger, Tunbridge Wells, 11 August 2003.
195 Palm Oil, Kurt Berger, Website Britannia Food (www.britanniafood.com), Viewed in August 2003.
-64-
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Greasy Palms: European buyers of Indonesian palm oil

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About this report 1

This research is available in two reports:

1.1 History of the cultivation of oil palms

Historical development of global oil palm production

Nigeria Malaysia Indonesia Other countries

Figure 1. Historical development of the global palm oil production 1970-2004

1.2 The global oil palm production chain

Oil palm plantation

Fresh fruit bunches

Crude Palm Oil (CPO) CPO mill Palm kernels

Refinery Crushing plant

Crude Palm Kernel Meal

Fatty acids, RBD PKO

Figure 2. Overview of the oil palm production chain

1.2.2 Crude palm oil mills

1.2.3 Palm kernel crushing plants

Table 1 Composition of palm oil and palm kernel oil 13

1.2.4 Palm oil and palm kernel oil refineries

• RBD palm olein: a clear yellow liquid at room temperature;

Both fractions are used for different end-products:17

• Fractionation: see paragraph 1.2.4;

1.2.6 Oleochemical industries

Crude Fatty Methyl Esters

Fractionation Distillation Hydrogenation

Esterification Esterification Distilled Hydrogenated

Distilled Distilled Fractionated

Distilled Fatty Methyl Esters

Hydrogenation Amidation Sulphonation

Fractionated Fatty Alcohol Fatty Alcohol Methyl Ester

• Glycerine: Glycerine is used in pharmaceuticals, perfumery, food emulsifiers, cigarettes,

• Soap and detergents industry

• Leather and textile industry

• Compound feed industry

1.3 Global palm oil production

1.4.1 Global palm oil usage

Table 4 Palm oil usage by country/region (in 1,000 MT) 32

Table 5 Palm kernel oil usage by country/region (in 1,000 MT) 33

Table 6 Global usage of edible oils (in 1,000 MT) 35

Table 8 Global usage of oil meals (in 1,000 MT) 37

Table 9 World market prices CPO and PKO 39

2.1 Historical development of the Indonesian oil palm sector

2.1.1 1848-1945: Colonial development

Oil palm plantation acreage in Indonesia

Figure 5. Development of oil palm plantation acreage in Indonesia

Table 10 Indonesian mature oil palm acreage (in 1,000 ha) 52

Indonesian palm oil production and export

Figure 6. Indonesian palm oil production and export 1995-2002

Figure 7. Annual area planted with oil palms in Indonesia (hectares)

• The Rupiah exchange rate

Table 13 Exchange rate Rupiah / Dollar 62

Figure 8. Exchange rate of the rupiah vs. the dollar 1997-2004