Indonesia Importing 1M Ton of Rice From India and 2M Ton From Thailand

29 December 2023

The El Niño phenomenon impacted rice production in Indonesia this year. The economic outlook from Indonesian authorities predicts that it will be difficult to bring rice production levels back to normal in 2024. To solve the fluctuations in food prices and secure supply in the domestic markets, Indonesia has initiated a deal with India and Thailand; the two neighboring countries, and its top importing partners for the cereal.

 

Indonesia’s Rice Imports

 

This food commodity’s imports come under Chapter 10 — Cereals, belonging to the Heading 1006 — Rice. Cereals rank among Indonesia's top 10 imported commodities with an average share value of 2.05%, calculated based on imports in the past five years.

 

Below, Indonesia’s import data shows yearly rice imports. The imports of rice by Indonesia in the past five years registered these values: $1.03 billion in 2018, $184.25 million in 2019, $195.40 million in 2020, $183.80 million in 2021, and $202.04 million in 2022.

 

 

 

Top Partners For Rice Imports

 

 According to Indonesia imports 2022, the top 5 Indonesia importing partners for rice are India with a value of $77.7 million, followed by Thailand with a value of $44 million, Vietnam with a value of $42.4 million, Pakistan with $35.8 million, and Myanmar with $1.4 million.

 

 

 

Rice Imports From India

 

India has emerged as the top partner for Indonesia’s rice imports. Indonesian buyers bought Indian rice for the following values in the past five years: $139.15 million in 2018, $3.01 million in 2019, $4.84 million in 2020, $86.27 million in 2021, and $77.74 million in 2022.

 

 

 

Rice Imports From Thailand

 

Thailand was the top supplier of rice to Indonesia but was surpassed by India in 2021. The rice imports by Indonesia from Thailand amounted to $386.5 million in 2018, $38.56 million in 2019, $76.30 million in 2020, $41.32 million in 2021, and $44.09 million in 2022.

 

 

 

Recent Indonesia’s Rice Imports

 

Both India and Thailand have been importing rice to Indonesia with significant values. In recent quarters, the aforementioned observation regarding the top supplying country between both countries has flipped, as Thailand’s shipments are surging and India’s shipments are slumping.

 

The quarterly imports of rice by Indonesia from India registered these values so far: $11.54 million in Q1-2022, $8.59 million in Q2-2022, $45.67 million in Q3-2022, $11.92 million in Q4-2022, $20 million in Q1-2023, $9.68 million in Q2-2023, and $2.23 million in Q3-2023.

 

 

Indonesia’s quarterly rice imports from Thailand registered the following values so far: $3.46 million in Q1-2022, $4 million in Q2-2022, $16.23 million in Q3-2022, $20.39 million in Q4-2022, $132.89 million in Q1-2023, $167.50 million in Q2-2023, and $166.18 million in Q3-2023.

 

 

The quarterly imports in Indonesia for rice have registered the following values: $20.87 million in Q1-2022, $34.94 million in Q2-2022, $75.31 million in Q3-2022, $70.90 million in Q4-2022, $255.96 million in Q1-2023, $309.82 million in Q2-2023, and $414.65 million in Q3-2023.

 

 

The overall import values for rice by Indonesia have increased in recent quarters. In the third quarter of 2023, the import value of rice in Indonesia peaked, as seen in the table above. This shows the rising demand for rice in Indonesia, and imports coming from all over the world.

 

The imports of cereals are among the top 10 in Indonesia, as per Indonesia trade data. Among these cereals, usually, the imports of wheat rank as the highest in Chapter 10. However, maize & corn imports topped in 2022, while rice imports maintained the third-highest imports rank.