President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo has kicked off replanting of 4,460 hectares of oil palm plantation in Musi Banyuasin regency, South Sumatra province on Friday (Oct 13). The program is partly funded by palm oil levy collected since 2015.

Some multinational companies continue to complain about regulatory framework in doing business here. Others, however, are silently enjoying profit, which not surprisingly higher than their operations in other countries.

Thermal coal declined further to US$95.35 per ton on Wednesday to respond China’s import data, which pointed to significant decline in September. Overall, however, thermal coal prices in the third quarter ended Sept 30 were stronger than prediction from many analysts. Weather issues might continue to support the commodity in the short term.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla witnessed the signing of an MoU between Indonesian company PT Valdo Investama and Siat Group in Brussels, Belgium this week. The companies plan to develop an integrated plantation-to-biotechnology in Maluku province with US$50 million of investment.

Genting Plantations Bhd, listed on KLSE, through its subsidiary AsianIndo Holdings Pte Ltd, has completed acquisition of 100% shares in Knowledge One Investment Pte Ltd from Lee Rubber Company (Pte) Ltd for US$94.97 million (RM407.2 million). KOI, through its 85 per cent subsidiary in Indonesia, PT Kharisma Inti Usaha (PT KIU), holds the rights to cultivate oil palm on 14,661 hectares in Tapin Regency, South Kalimantan province, Indonesia.

Indonesia suffered US$5.33 billion of deficit in oil and gas trading for the first eight months of 2017, expanded by 58.2% from the corresponding period last year due to a combination of higher import volume and average prices. Should we worry about the country’s long-term fuel security?

PT Grahadura Leidong Prima (GLP) and PT Sumbertama Nusapertiwi (SNP), both are subsidiaries of Bakrie Sumatra Plantations (UNSP), have effective October 5th, 2017 no longer holding shares in PT Julang Oca Permana (JOP), a rubber plantation in North Bengkulu. They sold the assets to PT Sukses Generasi Abadi (SGA) for Rp193 billion.

Aluminium is one of the best perfoming commodities in the past two years. Last Thursday the commodity recovered 1.7% to US$2,171.5 per ton. That means aluminium has gained more than 50% since early 2016. Indonesia, used to be one of the world’s largest exporters of bauxite ores, might benefit for several reasons.

The government has set reference price of coal (calorific value of 6322 Kcal/Kg) for October 2017 at US$93.99 per ton, the highest this year, and representing 36% gain year-on-year. In international market, the commodity was traded around US$98 per ton Thursday, thanks to short-term supply balance.