JAKARTA – Secretary General of the Association of Indonesian Producers of Oleochemical (Apolin) Rapolo Hutabarat expressed hope that the joining of Indonesia into BRICS will expand the global market for palm oil, the top export commodity of Indonesia.

BRICS is an intergovernmental organization which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. It was established in 2009 by its founding countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Indonesia officially joined the group in early 2025, becoming its first member country from Southeast Asian region.

“None of those 10 member countries (of BRICS) impose trade barrier against palm oil,” Rapolo said in Jakarta on Wednesday (12/3/2025).

“I hope cooperations under BRICS will become our tools in attracting foreign direct investments from those 10 countries and then become the main markets for our palm oil products as none of them impose trade barriers,” he said.

He is confident that with the average income of the BRICS member countries at US$11,200 per year, those member countries are promising markets for Indonesian palm oil products.

“Actually, there are still many opportunities that we can tap through cooperations, especially among local stakeholders, to gain greater market access through BRICS,” said Rapolo.

BRICS Controls 44% of World Population

BRICS with 10 member countries, including Indonesia, has a total population of 3.8 billion, which accounts for 44% of the total global population of 8.1 billion.

“We hope with the cooperation, there will be no more tariff and non-tariff barriers imposed on palm oil,” said Rapolo. (*) Source: sawitkita.id