Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s exports of crude palm oil (CPO) and its derivatives rose significantly to US$4.69 billion in the first two months of 2026, up from US$3.71 billion during the same period last year. Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman attributed the growth to the nation’s aggressive “downstreaming” strategy, which prioritizes domestic processing over the export of raw materials.“We control more than 60 percent of the global market, making Indonesia a decisive player. We must continue to accelerate downstreaming,” Sulaiman said in a statement on Thursday.The Minister emphasized that the government is strengthening the production and marketing ecosystem to increase the added value of palm oil. By processing CPO into high-value commodities such as margarine, cosmetics, and other industrial derivatives, Sulaiman believes the global market will become increasingly reliant on Indonesian supply, further stabilizing the national economy.Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) confirms a 26.40 percent increase in the export value of CPO and its derivatives for the January-February 2026 period.Export volumes also saw a sharp rise, climbing from 3.33 million tons in early 2025 to 4.54 million tons in the same period this year.This surge has been a primary driver for Indonesia’s overall trade performance. BPS Deputy for Distribution and Services Statistics Ateng Hartono noted that total non-oil and gas exports grew by 2.82 percent year-on-year, reaching US$42.35 billion.“The manufacturing sector was the main catalyst for this growth, contributing 5.36 percent to the overall performance in early 2026,” Hartono stated.In addition to palm oil, Indonesia’s export growth was bolstered by other key manufacturing sectors, including nickel, automotive exports, semiconductors, electronic components, and organic agricultural chemicals.