Indonesia’s Palm Oil Boom — Who Pays the Hidden Cost? W/ Demir Hossain

Palm oil powers the modern world — from food and cosmetics to biofuels. But in Indonesia, the world’s largest palm oil producer, this economic success story comes with massive hidden costs.In this episode of Dollar Dialogue, we break down how Indonesia’s palm oil industry creates negative externalities through deforestation, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, and regional haze pollution — costs that are not reflected in market prices, yet borne by society and future generations.We explore:Why palm oil is central to Indonesia’s economic growthHow market failure leads to overproductionThe haze crisis as a real-world economic eventGovernment policy trade-offs between growth and sustainabilityWhy externalities don’t stop at borders — and become geopoliticalThis episode connects economic theory to real-world policy, showing how incomplete prices shape global trade, environmental outcomes, and political tension.🎧 Tune in to understand why markets don’t always tell the full story — and who ends up paying the difference.