Jakarta - Indonesia’s coal exports went down nearly 21 percent so far this year as of August, as the combustible black rock grappled with a price slump.

Coal continues to ignite Indonesia’s non-oil and gas exports. While palm oil and producers are witnessing higher exports, coal businesses are not doing so hot. The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data showed that coal exports only reached $15.91 billion in January-August 2025, a stark contrast to the $20.13 billion recorded the previous year.

“Coal exports saw a 20.99 percent year-on-year [yoy] decline,” BPS deputy M Habibullah told a presser on Wednesday.

From a volume standpoint, Indonesia only exported 251.13 million tons of coal in the first eight months of 2025. The resource-rich country sold around 264.78 million tons to its foreign partners in the same period last year, according to BPS. The average price for each ton had fallen from $76.14 to $63.48. The commodity made up 9.03 percent of the non-oil and gas exports that Indonesia made in 2025 as of the end of August.

“Coal prices in global markets saw a 0.66 percent monthly decline [to $112.15 per metric ton] in August. This also marked a 23.06 yoy drop,” Habibullah said as data showed a metric ton of the sedimentary rock used to have a price tag of $145.76 last year.

The agency did not disclose who Indonesia’s top coal buyers were during the presser. However, India and China are known to be the biggest markets for Indonesian coal. Between January and August 2025, China-bound exports of mineral fuels -- which include coal -- totaled $5.91 billion. India also purchased about $3.69 billion worth of Indonesian mineral fuels.

Amid the sluggish shipments, Indonesian coal miners are facing reclamation issues. Indonesia requires miners to set aside some funds for reclamation purposes to restore the land disturbed by its business operations. The country recently suspended the operations of 190 miners, many of whom are in the coal business, after they failed to meet the reclamation and post-mining obligations. The government so far has collected up to Rp 35 trillion (around $2.1 billion) in reclamation and post-mining funds, according to the state news agency Antara.