SEANOHA – Business News: Primarily Resource- and Production-Oriented Industries

This week’s global developments highlight a major shift across resource- and production-driven industries, where rising fertilizer and industrial metal prices, ongoing geopolitical tensions, and supply chain disruptions are significantly increasing production costs worldwide. At the same time, commodities are increasingly treated as strategic assets, while energy markets tighten with record LNG movements and manufacturing adapts to new sourcing realities. Amid these changes, Indonesia is emerging as a key investment destination—leveraging strong domestic supply, expanding food processing capacity, unlocking opportunities in mining and LNG, and attracting major international investment in manufacturing and innovation-driven sectors.

Agatha Nova Damayanti

4/18/20264 min read

1. Agriculture and Food Processing

Global – News 1
Fertilizer prices surged dramatically in Q1 2026 due to Middle East conflict and energy costs, with urea prices rising up to +46% in some markets. This development is driving significantly higher global food production costs.¹
Global – News 2
Rabobank’s Agri Commodity Outlook 2026 highlights geopolitics as the dominant force reshaping global fruit and agri-food trade flows, with countries and companies increasingly treating agricultural commodities as strategic assets rather than purely market-driven goods.²
Southeast Asia / Indonesia (Export & Investment Opportunity)
Indonesia has decided not to import rice, corn, and sugar in 2026 due to abundant domestic supply and high food reserves. The government is instead focusing on massive investment in local agricultural processing (planned investments of around US$22 billion) to create jobs and boost exports of processed food products.³

2. Mining and Raw Materials

Global – News 1
Global mining companies have added substantial market value in 2026 so far, driven by record copper and industrial metals prices amid strong electrification demand and supply disruptions.⁴
Global – News 2
Copper has broken previous price ceilings in 2026, fueled by strong Chinese demand, global electrification (data centers + renewables), and intensifying supply constraints.⁵
Southeast Asia / Indonesia (Export & Investment Opportunity)
Indonesia is considering relaxing nickel and coal production quotas in 2026 if prices remain high. The government is also raising the HBA coal reference price, creating new export revenue opportunities for foreign investors and traders in the nickel and coal sectors.⁶

3. Natural Gas & LNG

Global – News 1
China has resold a record volume of LNG cargoes in March 2026 (1.31 million tons year-to-date) as Middle East disruptions tighten global supply, helping to fill gaps for other Asian buyers.⁷
Global – News 2
US LNG exports hit an all-time high in March 2026 as new capacity comes online and buyers shift away from disrupted Middle East supplies.⁸
Southeast Asia / Indonesia (Export & Investment Opportunity)
INPEX is preparing to launch the EPC tender for the giant Abadi LNG project (Masela Block) in mid-2026. The US$20–21 billion project will produce 9.5 million tons of LNG per year and offers major investment and partnership opportunities for international players in Indonesia’s LNG sector.⁹

4. Manufacturing and Industry

Global – News 1
Industrial metals (copper, aluminum, steel) have entered a sustained upward price cycle in 2026, ending the previous commodity slump due to supply squeezes and strong electrification demand.¹⁰
Global – News 2
Global manufacturing is facing higher input costs and supply chain pressure from the Middle East conflict, pushing companies to diversify sourcing and production bases.¹¹
Southeast Asia / Indonesia (Export & Investment Opportunity)
Indonesia and the US have concluded investment and trade commitments worth US$38.4 billion, with the majority (US$33.91 billion) directed at the manufacturing sector (especially semiconductors and electronics). This opens significant new investment and technology transfer opportunities in Indonesia.¹²

5. Inventions, Small Businesses

Global – News 1
AI is becoming the new “operating system” for agri-food innovation in 2026, with companies integrating multiple tools into single platforms for entire production operations.¹³
Global – News 2
Global startup and small business financing is shifting toward climate-tech and food-system innovations, with investors prioritizing scalable solutions in emerging markets.¹⁴
Southeast Asia / Indonesia (Export & Investment Opportunity)
The Indonesian government is significantly expanding financing access and support programs for startups and small businesses in 2026, with a strong focus on digitalization, innovation, and agricultural technology. The US Embassy in Jakarta is also running a pitch competition for Indonesian tech startups to attract US investment.¹⁵

References

¹ Bloomberg. (2026, March 21). Fertilizer shock escalates as new supply risks emerge.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-21/fertilizer-shock-escalates-as-new-supply-
risks-emerge/

² Rabobank. (2026). Agri Commodity Outlook 2026: The grain gambit strains but policy will sustain.
https://www.rabobank.com/knowledge/q011505224-agri-commodity-outlook-2026-the-grain-
gambit-strains-but-policy-will-sustain

³ Antara News. (2026, January 1). Indonesia halts rice, sugar, corn imports in 2026.
https://en.antaranews.com/news/398149/indonesia-halts-rice-sugar-corn-imports-in-2026

⁴ MINING.com. (2026, April 19). Copper price within sight of all-time high as Chinese smelters hit
record activity. https://www.mining.com/copper-price-within-sight-of-all-time-high-as-chinese-
smelters-hit-record-activity/

⁵ Reuters. (2026, January 29). Copper sets record amid geopolitical risks, weak dollar.
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/copper-sets-record-amid-geopolitical-risks-weak-dollar-2026-
01-29/

⁶ The Jakarta Post (2026, March 26) Indonesia may relax production quotas of nickel, coal if prices
stay high. https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/03/26/indonesia-may-relax-production-
quotas-of-nickel-coal-if-prices-stay-high.html

⁷ Reuters. (2026, April 1). Tight global market: Well-positioned China resells record LNG volumes.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/tight-global-market-well-positioned-china-resells-record-
lng-volumes-2026-04-01/

⁸ OilPrice.com. (2026, April 12). US LNG exports soar to record levels in March amid panic buying.
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/US-LNG-Exports-Soar-To-Record-Levels-In-March-Amid-
Panic-Buying.html

⁹ Reuters. (2026, February 24). Inpex to solicit bids for construction of Indonesia’s Abadi LNG project
in mid-2026. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/inpex-solicit-bids-construction-indonesias-
abadi-lng-project-mid-2026-2026-02-24/

¹⁰ World Bank. (2026). Metal prices poised to strengthen further.
https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/metal-prices-poised-to-strengthen-further

¹¹ Reuters (2026, April 1). Factories worldwide hit by supply chain disruption amid Iran war.
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/global-economy-asias-factory-activity-slows-cost-pressure-
iran-war-2026-04-01/

¹² Antara News. (2026, February). Indonesia, US clinch US$38.4 bln trade, investment deals at summit.
https://en.antaranews.com/news/405178/indonesia-us-clinch-us384-bln-trade-investment-deals-at-
summit

¹³ Forbes. (2026, April 14). 10 trends defining agri-food innovation in 2026.
https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2026/04/14/10-trends-defining-agri-food-
innovation-in-2026/

¹⁴ TechCrunch (2025, December 30). 12 investors dish on what 2026 will bring for climate tech.
https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/30/12-investors-dish-on-what-2026-will-bring-for-climate-tech/

¹⁵ US Embassy Jakarta. (2026). Indonesian tech startups invited to compete in SelectUSA Investment
Summit 2026 pitching competition. https://id.usembassy.gov/indonesian-tech-startups-invited-to-
compete-in-selectusa-investment-summit-2026-pitching-competition/

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