Indonesia plans to import extra from the U.S. to ‘slender’ industry surplus, finance minister says

U.S. President Donald Trump’s price lists have driven nations to search for techniques to give a boost to their industry steadiness with the U.S. and negotiate the level of tasks levied on their imports.

Indonesia’s plan now could be to “narrow,” and even get rid of its industry surplus with the U.S., the rustic’s finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati advised CNBC at the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings.

This comes after the rustic was once hit with a 32% levy on exports to the U.S. via President Donald Trump on April 2. He has since diminished the obligation to 10% as a part of his 90-day pause on price lists imposed on some nations and items.

Indrawati famous that the resource-rich nation has been gave the impression to be combating industry by the use of “non-tariff barriers” akin to its administrative processes, customs processes on imported items and taxation procedures.

Indonesia is now having a look to import extra agricultural merchandise akin to wheat, soybeans and corn from the U.S, she stated.

“We import not only from the United States but many others … we can always discuss about how we can narrow and put the United States in a better advantage of providing those kinds of agriculture products,” she famous.

Indonesia may just probably additionally import oil and fuel – particularly liquid fuel from the U.S. – as its home manufacturing is inadequate for its power wishes, the finance minister stated.

Her feedback come as Indonesia’s industry surplus with the U.S. stood at $4.3 billion between January to March 2025 – up from $3.61 billion in the similar duration the 12 months ahead of. The superpower was once the largest contributor to the Southeast Asian nation’s total industry surplus of $10.92 billion within the first quarter.

However, Indrawati famous that industry to the U.S. accounts for not up to 2% of the rustic’s gross home product.

“So, it’s not really that big,” for the reason that general exports accounts for 20% of Indonesia’s GDP, she added.

Still, Indrawati stated that the affect of Trump’s price lists may just probably be felt in alternative ways as nations glance to diversify their exports from the U.S.

Bank Indonesia held its coverage charges for its 3rd consecutive assessment on Wednesday, in a bid to care for the change price balance of the Indonesian rupiah towards the unsure macroeconomic outlook.

The central financial institution stored its benchmark 7-day opposite repurchase price – which is often referred to as BI Rate -unchanged at 5.75%, as anticipated all however two of 26 economists polled via Reuters. It additionally stored its two different coverage charges stable.

The transfer comes because the Indonesian rupiah hit a report low whilst the Jakarta Composite index plunged previous within the month as capital flowed out after the U.S. imposed “reciprocal tariffs” on nations together with Indonesia.

The resolution serves to safeguard the rupiah’s balance because the central financial institution continues to evaluate long term room for a lower, taking into consideration the rustic’s inflation price and enlargement possibilities, Governor Perry Warjiyo stated.

“Our short term priority is exchange rate stability. Once stability is maintained, the room for a rate cut will be more open and that would be the time to decide on future interest rate policy,” he added.

The rupiah weakened 0.12% towards the buck to 16,800 on Thursday, an afternoon after BI’s price resolution.