Indonesia’s Bold Export Crackdown Won't Breach Existing Commodity Contracts

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — Indonesia’s economic ministers are moving swiftly to soothe nervous global markets, guaranteeing that a aggressive new sovereign export-monitoring agency will honor all active commodity contracts while aggressively cracking down on systemic corporate tax fraud.

The political defense follows the government's shock announcement that state-backed PT Danantara Sumber Daya Indonesia (DSI)—a strategic unit under the newly minted sovereign super-holding entity Danantara—will assume direct oversight of the nation's key resource exports. While the mandate triggered immediate anxiety across international coal, crude palm oil (CPO), and ferronickel supply chains, Jakarta insists trade flows will face zero physical disruptions.

This regulatory shift marks a historic tightening of state control over Indonesia’s multi-billion dollar natural resource sector under President Prabowo Subianto. By inserting Danantara directly into the export pipeline, Jakarta aims to dismantle deeply entrenched transfer-pricing networks that drain national revenues, using artificial intelligence to cross-verify trading data. For international buyers and global commodity funds, the policy creates an immediate administrative hurdle but preserves the legal sanctity of supply chains, preventing a sudden shock to global energy and raw material volumes.

Honoring the Sanctity of Contracts

Top officials went on the offensive to calm enterprise anxieties, stating unequivocally that valid commercial agreements will not face cancellation. "We will respect all existing contracts. The sanctity of the contract remains protected," stated Danantara CEO Rosan P. Roeslani, who also serves as the Minister of Investment and Downstreaming, following a high-level coordination meeting at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs in Jakarta on Thursday, May 21, 2026.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia echoed this reassuring stance during an industry interview at the IPA Convex 2026 expo in Tangerang on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. "I think there is nothing to worry about because their markets abroad can just continue their transactions normally," Bahlil noted, emphasizing that profit metrics will remain strictly a business-to-business matter.

However, the state is drawing a hard line on predatory pricing structures. Rosan warned that while contracts are safe, the government will aggressively review any agreements found to be pricing local commodities significantly below prevailing global market indices.

Crushing the Under-Invoicing Epidemic

The justification for this massive regulatory intervention centers on a damning multi-year pattern of tax evasion and capital flight. Newly appointed Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa revealed that recent government investigations exposed shocking pricing discrepancies in the trade of strategic resources.

"If we run a random check on ten companies and three vessels, they all look like that. This means the practice is still highly active," Purbaya declared during a pressing parliamentary press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.

Purbaya detailed a sophisticated corporate subterfuge where Indonesian miners deliberately ship assets to offshore shell companies or affiliates in regional hubs like Singapore at artificial, rock-bottom prices. These intermediate hubs then flip the physical commodities to primary destination markets, such as the United States, at true international market values. "The price in America compared to the price we sell from here to Singapore is, on average, double. From that alone, the country loses half its rightful value," Purbaya explained, citing losses in corporate income tax and vital foreign exchange liquidity.

The June 1 Operational Runway

To prevent operational bottlenecks at major shipping ports, the government is providing a soft landing for resource firms. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto confirmed that the initial rollout on June 1, 2026, will serve primarily as an administrative transparency phase.

"First of all, of course, there is no need to worry because all exports are still carried out by companies in the existing sectors, namely coal, CPO, and ferronickel," Airlangga stated to reporters at the Presidential Palace complex on Thursday, May 21, 2026.

Exporters must adjust to a new workflow where all transactions must be reported concurrently to PT DSI. Rather than forcing an immediate commercial shock, the state is implementing a crucial three-month transition window to test and calibrate the software. "There will be an explanation provided to investors so that before June 1, market operators will already be informed. During these three months, we will fine-tune the system," Airlangga concluded.