BOGOR - Indonesia is reportedly still importing alumina products to support domestic aluminum production. This despite the country possessing a "ton of bauxite" as the raw material for aluminum production. In fact, imports spiked from 2023 to 2024, only to decline again this year.
According to data from the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin), alumina imports were recorded at 711,000 tons in 2023. They then rose to 1.07 million tons in 2024, and this year they dropped to 816,000 tons.
"Alumina imports in 2024 were around 1.07 million tons, and they decreased in 2025, but as of August, the data still stood at 819,000 tons," said Yosef Danianta Kurniawan, Head of the Non-Ferrous Metals Industry Working Team of the Metal Industry Directorate, at the Industrial Journalists Forum (Forwin) Media Gathering in Sentul, Bogor, West Java, on Friday, November 14.
According to Yosef, the decline in alumina imports from January to August 2025 indicates the increasing role of domestic production capacity from smelter and alumina plant projects, such as PT Bintan Alumina Indonesia and PT Borneo Alumindo Prima.
"Meanwhile, the surge in alumina imports in 2024 reflects the increasing demand for downstream aluminum industries amid competitive global prices," he said.
Nevertheless, Yosef noted that alumina export performance showed positive results. Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), he said, alumina exports reached 3.66 million tons by August 2025. Furthermore, aluminum ingot exports also reached around 366,000 tons.
"This indicates that new investments in the refinery, bauxite, and aluminum smelter sectors indicate an increase in alumina product exports. Meanwhile, aluminum ingot exports are still growing, but not as significantly as alumina," he explained.
The decline in aluminum ingot exports indicates an industrial transition toward increased domestic processing capacity in line with the downstreaming policy.
As a result, foreign exchange earnings remain high, but the potential for increased economic value and employment will only be optimal if production continues to the aluminum ingot and derivative product stages.
Thus, this trend demonstrates significant progress in downstreaming, but still requires accelerated investment in the advanced processing sector to further enhance national economic benefits.
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