Indonesian Kokas Exports Reach Rp9.19 Trillion, India Becomes Main Market Share

JAKARTA - The Association of Indonesian Kokas Nusantara Business Actors (APUKN) noted that Indonesia's export volume or steel production component to the global market reached 2.56 million metric tons (MT) until May 2025.

APUKN chairman Elias Ginting said kokas exports rose 62 percent compared to the same period last year. The export value of the first five months of this year reached 563 million US dollars or equivalent to Rp9.19 trillion.

"This export growth shows the resilience of the national kokas industry in facing international market challenges, including barriers to trade policy and price pressure," Elias said in a written statement, Thursday, July 17.

Meanwhile, in 2024, Indonesia's total kokas exports will reach 5.56 million tons. This achievement places Indonesia in third position as the largest kokas exporter in the world, only slightly below Poland (5.88 million tons) and China (8.33 million tons) which dominates the global market.

India as the main market in Indonesia managed to absorb around 2.6 million tons or 47 percent of the total national exports by 2024. Even so, the percentage of exports to India has decreased to 21 percent this year.

According to Elias, the decline was due to the enactment of a safeguard policy by the Government of India in the first semester of 2025 and has been extended until the end of this year.

However, the Indonesian kokas industry is able to expand its market to other countries, such as Brazil, Belgium, Vietnam, Italy and Turkey.

Based on APUKN records, Brazil is now the second largest export market after India, with demand reaching 367 thousand MT or 14 percent of total exports, signaling a huge market potential outside of traditional markets.

Globally, the price of kokas has decreased along with the decline in the prices of major raw materials, namely the coding coal. However, the decline in kokas prices was recorded to be sharper than the coding coal, which caused pressure on the cost of kokas production.

"The export margin is running low because the selling price of kokas is not proportional to the cost of production and raw materials," he said.

On the other hand, Elias introduced the Association of Kokas Nusantara Business Actors which had been officially established since early 2025, with the issuance of a Decree of the Minister of Law and Human Rights and having carried out an inauguration in May this year.

In the ranks of the APUKN management, Muhdori Nur Yasin was named the Supervisory Board. APUKN is here as an official forum for kokas industry players in Indonesia, aiming to strengthen coordination between business actors and the government and encourage the strengthening of the national coal downstream industry.

Furthermore, Elias assessed, currently the kokas industry needs real support from the government, especially in terms of ease of export licensing and guidance related to factory governance, including environmental aspects.

"We hope that the presence of APUKN can become a strategic partner of the government in encouraging policies to side with industry, maintain environmental sustainability and strengthen Indonesia's position in the global kokas supply chain," he concluded.