Indonesia ups palm export levies to fund B30 mandate

: Agriculture, Biofuels, Fertilizers
20/12/03

Indonesia is hiking palm oil export levies for a second time this year to help fund its 30pc biodiesel in transport fuel mandate (B30), with the change to take effect from 10 December.

Crude palm oil (CPO) levies will start at $55/t when prices are at or below $670/t. They will then rise on a sliding scale to a maximum of $255/t when CPO moves above $995/t.

Biodiesel duties will range from $25/t when CPO prices are below $670/t to $192.50/t when they move above $995/t.

Palm olein levies will rise from $20/t to $187/t for the same CPO price range.

These changes have been mooted since September and are a sharp rise from the flat $55/t duty on CPO and $25/t duty on biodiesel that have been in place since June.

Indonesia uses the proceeds from these duties to bridge the gap between biodiesel and fossil fuel diesel prices in the country, but has struggled to fund its B30 programme this year amid high feedstock palm oil and low gasoil costs.

Jakarta set its December biodiesel price at 9,505 rupiah/litre ($771/t), down from Rp9,329/litre in November, keeping its biodiesel formula price at $85/t above CPO.

By Amandeep Parmar

Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

24/04/22

Brazil 1Q tallow exports triple on long-term contracts

Sao Paulo, 22 April (Argus) — Brazilian beef tallow exports totaled 73,930 metric tonnes (t) in the first quarter, a three-fold increase from the same three-month period in 2023 on rising demand. Almost 93pc of outflows between January and March were shipped to the US, according to data from Brazil's trade ministry. Long-term contracts explain the rising flow of exports, even though spot market arbitrage was closed throughout the first quarter (see chart) . The price of tallow in the Paranagua and Santos ports was $960/t fob on 19 April, keeping the arbitrage closed to US Gulf coast buyers, where the reference product was at $901/t on a delivered inland basis. Brazilian tallow is also negotiated at a premium against soybean oil, which closed at $882/t fob Paranagua on 19 April. This scenario has been observed since the 1 December 2023 start of Argus ' tallow export price assessment. Historically, vegetable oil in Brazil was traded at a discount to tallow, but strong demand has boosted the price of animal fat. Some biodiesel plants have been purchasing used cooking oil (UCO) or pork fat as an alternative. In 2023, there were doubts about whether the outflow of tallow from Brazil would be constant. Market participants now believe that the 2024 start of operations at new renewable diesel refineries in the US should sustain exports. Local suppliers that have already signed supply guarantee contracts — some up to three years — with American buyers are also considering export opportunities with Asia, including a new renewable diesel plant in Singapore that could receive Brazilian cargoes. Expansion projects are propelling US demand, including work that would bring capacity at Marathon Petroleum's Martinez Renewables plants in California to 2.35mn m³/y (40,750 b/d)and the Phillips 66 Rodeo unit in northern Californiato 3mn m³/y. These and other new projects will increase annual US demand for tallow by 5mn t. Maintenance on the horizon Maintenance at US refineries has Brazilian sellers bracing for a short-term drop in prices. Between May and June the Diamond Green Diesel (DGD) unit in Port Arthur, Texas, will shut down for maintenance, a stoppage that could impact demand for Brazilian inputs. Market participants have already observed a slight increase in domestic tallow supply, a change they attribute to maintenance at DGD. The advance of the soybean crop in Argentina is also expected to increase the supply of feedstocks to North American plants, as some refineries are returning to soybean oil after a hiatus of several years. The soybean oil quote on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) is an important reference for the price of tallow. By Alexandre Melo Renewable feedstocks in Brazil on fob basis R/t Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Baltimore opens third temporary shipping channel

24/04/22

Baltimore opens third temporary shipping channel

New York, 22 April (Argus) — A third temporary shipping channel has opened at the Port of Baltimore to allow more vessel traffic around the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. Located on the northeast side of the main channel, the new passage has a controlling depth of 20-ft, a 300-ft horizontal clearance, and a vertical clearance of 135-ft. When combined with two other temporary channels opened earlier this month the port should be able to handle "... approximately 15 percent of pre-collapse commercial activity," said David O'Connell, the federal on-scene coordinator. The main shipping channel of the Port of Baltimore — a key conduit for US vehicle imports and coal exports — is expected to be reopened by the end of May, the Maryland Port Administration said earlier this month. The bridge collapsed into the water late last month when the 116,851dwt container ship Dali lost power and crashed into one of its support columns. Salvage teams have been working ever since to remove debris from the water and containers from the ship in order to clear the main channel. By Stephen Cunningham Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US amsul stripping margin rises again in April

24/04/19

US amsul stripping margin rises again in April

Houston, 19 April (Argus) — The stripping margin for ammonium sulfate (amsul), driven by higher amsul prices, continued to rise in April even as variable costs grew. The stripping margin increased by nearly $24/st to $270/st for April, up by 10pc from March and up by 13pc from April 2023. Inland amsul trade exceeded $400/short tons (st) this month on continued supply tightness following production outages in the first quarter. Minimal length at New Orleans (Nola) spurred sellers to offer imported tons as high as $405/st fob for first half May delivery. Participants in the amsul market anticipate values to keep rising into May as supply tightness persists. Higher amsul prices have been partially caused by higher costs for inputs. The Tampa, Florida, ammonia contract rose by 7pc to $475/st in April from the month prior and the sulfur Tampa contract climbed by 17pc to $81 per long ton (lt) from the previous quarter. The cost of ammonia and sulfur were 8pc and 27pc lower than a year earlier, respectively. The total variable cost for amsul rose by $10/st in April to $143/st after holding steady in March. Rising ammonia prices have supported amsul variable costs but gains in the price of ammonia have not been as substantive as the market expected, sources said. Applications of ammonia in the US are slowing, which may weaken the price of the Tampa contract, but production outages could offset seasonal declines. Ma'aden's ammonia II plant is due to undergo a month of maintenance starting mid-April. Sulfur prices are expected to remain firm in the near term but lose momentum entering the third quarter on higher refinery utilization in the US and the return of Chinese exports of MAP and DAP, which could oversaturate the phosphate fertilizer market. Sulfuric acid is used to produce DAP and MAP. By Meghan Yoyotte Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Phosphates: Indian DAP stocks build in March

24/04/19

Phosphates: Indian DAP stocks build in March

London, 19 April (Argus) — DAP stocks rose by the equivalent of 2-3 import cargoes in March, or nearly 86,000t, as imports and local production outstripped offtake. Indian DAP production reached 218,900t in March, according to FAI data, down nearly 41pc on the same month in 2023. DAP imports reached 201,000t in March, down nearly 54pc on March 2023. Sales of DAP reached 334,200t, down nearly 12pc year on year. Stock draw/build, defined as production plus imports minus offtake, was plus 85,700t. This implies that stocks are still close to 2mn t of DAP, as estimated by the Indian government. Full fertilizer year DAP production (April 2023-March 2024) reached 4.29mn t, down around 1pc year on year. Imports were down 15.4pc at 5.57mn t, mainly due to the loss of supply from China owing to customs inspections, with sales at 10.8mn t, up nearly 4pc year on year. By Mike Nash Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Amapá cancela regime especial de ICMS

24/04/18

Amapá cancela regime especial de ICMS

Rio de Janeiro, 18 April (Argus) — O Secretário da Fazenda (Sefaz) do Amapá (AP) cancelou ontem o regime especial de tributação de empresas importadoras de combustíveis, colocando um fim a uma situação que gerava distorções de preços no mercado de diesel . A decisão do órgão foi publicada no diário oficial desta quarta-feira, dia 17, e contempla os regimes especiais do tributo estadual ICMS de oito empresas, entre elas a Refinaria de Manguinhos, que pertence ao grupo Fit, Amapetro, Axa Oil, Alba Trading e Father Trading. No caso da Amapetro, a empresa pagava uma alíquota efetiva de 4pc do valor da importação nas compras de outros países para uso próprio para consumo dentro do estado. Considerando a média do indicador Argus de importação de diesel de origem russa ao longo de março, isso equivaleria a R$136,9/m³.O valor atual do ICMS nos outros estados brasileiros é de R$1.063/m³ desde 1 de fevereiro. O estado teria importado 197.244m³ de diesel em março, de acordo com informações do Ministério do Desenvolvimento, Indústria, Comércio e Serviços (MDIC). Isso equivale a 15,9pc do total de diesel importado pelo Brasil no mês. O consumo de diesel A do estado foi de 6.250m³ no mês passado, equivalente a 0,1pc do consumo nacional, de acordo com os dados da Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis (ANP). As autorizações do estado criavam distorções de preços no mercado e perdas de arrecadação fiscal em várias estados onde o produto acabava sendo consumido. Associações de produtores e distribuidores de diesel vinham pressionando o poder público nos últimos meses para derrubar esses regimes especiais. De acordo com o Instituto Combustível Legal, a medida causou um prejuízo de R$1 bilhão aos estados onde o combustível importado no âmbito do regime especial era efetivamente consumido, citando os estados de São Paulo, Paraná e Pernambuco como principais destinos. No início do mês, a Refina Brasil, que reúne as refinarias de petróleo independentes do país, estimou que o contribuinte amapaense pagava um valor próximo a R$0,83/l em subsídios para importadores. Por Amance Boutin Envie comentários e solicite mais informações em feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . Todos os direitos reservados.

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more