http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/indonesian-plantations-felt-pain-of-low-prices-last-year-but-better-days-seen-ahead/363093
March 10, 2010 Yohanes Obor Indonesian Plantations Felt Pain of Low Prices Last Year But Better Days Seen Ahead Last year proved a tough one for domestic plantation firms, with most reporting declines in annual profit in recent weeks due to the plunges in palm oil and rubber prices in early 2009. However, analysts said they remained positive about the sectors and expect palm oil and rubber prices to continue to rise as the global economy recovers. Of the six listed crude palm oil companies, three reported substantial declines in earnings: PT Astra Agro Lestari, PT London Sumatera Plantations and PT Sampoerna Agro. PT BW Plantations and PT Gozco Plantations reported higher profits, mostly as a result of expansion. PT Bakrie Sumatera Plantations has yet to report its earnings but has said its 2009 revenue fell by 20 percent. In Rotterdam, palm oil prices averaged $680.80 a ton in 2009, down 25 percent from an average price of $924.30 a ton the year before. The hardest hit among the plantation firms was Sampoerna Agro, which saw its 2009 net profit fall by 49 percent to Rp 204 billion ($22.2 million). Astra Agro reported a net profit of Rp 1.6 trillion for 2009, a 37 percent decline from 2008. It was the first time the company's earnings had declined in three years. Astra Agro's revenue fell 9 percent to Rp 7.42 trillion, despite an 8.8 percent increase in sales volume to 1.06 million metric tons. The company said it fetched an average of Rp 6,242 a kilogram for its crude palm oil in 2009, 13 percent lower than in the previous year. London Sumatera, meanwhile, saw its annual net profit drop by 24 percent to Rp 707 billion last year. Industry heavyweight PT Bakrie Sumatera Plantations said last month that its 2009 revenue had fallen by 20 percent to Rp 2.34 trillion. Palm oil accounted for 79.5 percent of its total revenue, with the rest coming from rubber, it said. Bakrie Sumatera said it sold 279,800 tons of palm oil in 2009, up 3 percent from the previous year, while rubber sales were flat at 29,200 tons, compared to 29,100 tons a year earlier. Meanwhile, industry minnows BW Plantations and Gozco Plantations both saw profits rise in 2009. BW's net profit jumped by 40 percent to Rp 167 billion. Gozco's net profit was up almost fourfold to Rp 204 billion from Rp 55 billion in 2008. However, the company said the increase was mainly due to more revenue from an expanded plantation area. Christine Salim, head research of at PT Samuel Sekuritas Indonesia, said her firm expected the price of crude palm oil to reach $800 a ton this year. "The CPO outlook is positive this year along with the increasing oil price and the global economic recovery, which will boost demand for CPO," she said. Herman Koeswanto, an analyst at PT Andalan Artha Advisindo Sekuritas, said his firm was still positive about the crude palm oil sector. "We still see a bullish outlook on CPO prices until mid-2010," he said, adding that inventories of palm oil had fallen, which was leading to stronger demand. Related articles Investors Back Bakrie Sumatera's Rp 4.96t Rights Issue 8:51 PM 02/02/2010 Indonesian Government May Allow Lower Loan Rates for Replanting 8:00 PM 04/08/2009 Falling Prices for CPO and Rubber Drag Down Bakrie Sumatera Sales 6:18 PM 26/02/2010 Bakrie Sumatera Betting Big on Bull Market for Palm Oil Next Year 8:26 PM 21/12/2009 Farmers Face Challenges of Climate Change in Indonesia 9:53 PM 18/11/2009
