Indonesia imported 11.4 million metric tons of nickel ore from the Philippines during the January to July period of 2026, according to data released by Indonesia's Statistics Bureau on Tuesday. The imports were valued at $696.5 million, as reported by Statistics Indonesia. This represents a significant increase compared to the same period in 2025, when Indonesia imported 6.82 million tons of nickel ore from the Philippines.
The year-over-year rise underscores the growing trade flows between the two Southeast Asian nations in the critical nickel ore sector. Indonesia, identified as the world's top nickel exporter, holds the world's largest nickel ore reserves. However, the Indonesian government has been implementing measures to tighten annual mining quotas with the stated objective of supporting nickel prices in global markets.
The surge in imports from the Philippines reflects the broader dynamics of nickel supply chains in Southeast Asia, where ore sourcing plays a crucial role in feeding domestic processing capacity and supporting the region's position in global nickel production. Source: MINING.COM, reporting by Bernadette Christina Munthe and Fransiska Nangoy
Source: mining.com