1731 mills in Indonesia

📍 Total Palm Oil Mills in Indonesia

According to a detailed report on the palm oil sector, there are approximately 1,731 palm oil mills operating in Indonesia, spread across about 25 provinces. These include mills of varying sizes that process fresh fruit bunches (FFB) into crude palm oil (CPO). 

📌 Additional Context

The most mills are found in key producing regions such as North Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Riau, Central Kalimantan, and South Sumatra, which together account for a large share of Indonesia’s palm oil processing capacity. 

This total reflects mills registered and recognized in official agricultural/industrial records; additional small private or informal processing units may exist but are not always captured in government statistics.

🌍 Comparison to Global Data

A global data set from a sustainability initiative estimated there are about 782 palm oil mills worldwide in their dataset — with 44% of them in Indonesia — highlighting Indonesia’s dominant role in global palm oil processing. 

South Sumatra

📍 Palm Oil Mill Distribution by Province (Representative Estimates)

> 🔎 Note: The exact number of mills varies across sources — older research estimates ~608 mills across 22 provinces as a snapshot from around the 2010s, while broader datasets (e.g., WRI) capture many hundreds more including commercial supply chain mills. 

Province Approx. Number of Palm Oil Mills (PKS) Notes / Source

Riau ~140 mills Highest concentration historically among provinces with mills. 

North Sumatra ~92 mills Major early palm oil production center. 

West Kalimantan ~65 mills Significant cohort supporting Borneo production. 

Other provinces with mills present Research shows PKS distributed across many provinces including Aceh, West Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra, Bangka Belitung, Lampung, East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Sulawesi provinces, Papua, West Papua, etc. 

Total national estimate (research snapshot) ~608 mills (historical data) Seen in academic industry overview from Ministry data (~2010s). 

Wide dataset representation (global transparency data) Indonesia accounts for ~44% of ~782 mills globally Suggests ~345+ mills included in the WRI traceability dataset — mostly in core provinces like Riau, North Sumatra, Kalimantan group. 

🧠 How These Numbers Should Be Interpreted

✅ Riau Province

Historically seen as the major palm oil hub in Indonesia.

Around ~140 mills reported in research samples.

Also top province for plantation area (~1.34M+ ha) and production. 

✅ North Sumatra & West Kalimantan

Closely follow Riau in mill counts.

North Sumatra ~92 mills; West Kalimantan ~65 mills based on industry evaluation. 

🔄 Other Regions

Academic snapshots show palm oil mills in at least 22 Indonesian provinces, including smaller numbers in Sulawesi, Papua, and eastern regions. 

Industry transparency datasets (like WRI) indicate that hundreds of mills in Indonesia are mapped in global supply chains, especially in Sumatra and Kalimantan. 

📌 Why Precise Numbers Vary

1. Different datasets cover different scopes:

Government licensed mills

Company‑reported supply chain mills

Research / satellite‑mapped mills

Each of these yields slightly different counts. 

2. Indonesia’s industry is dynamic:

New mills are built as plantations expand

Some smaller mills may not appear in public databases

Closure, consolidation, or redevelopment may change figures year‑to‑year. 

📍 Summary (Practical View)

🇮🇩 Indonesia is the world’s largest palm oil mill hub, with hundreds of processing facilities nationwide, heavily concentrated in Sumatra and Kalimantan. 

Riau, North Sumatra, and West Kalimantan are among the top provinces in number of mills. 

Industry datasets suggest distribution across 20+ provinces. 

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