Bangka Belitung province plans to remove tin export quota

The local government of Bangka Belitung (Babel) province may soon remove tin export quota and allow a number of small-scale tin smelters to re-operate despite the slump in the world tin market, Kontan reported on Monday.

Babel governor Eko Maulana Agung said the provincial administration would remove the governor?s decree which limited tin exports from the province at a maximum of 90,000 tons of tin bar a year to revive the operations of small and medium-scale tin mining companies.

A number of small-scale tin smelters, which have been prohibited from operations as part of the local government?s measures to curb illegal tin mining, would be also allowed to resume operations, the governor said.

?It will be up the market mechanism to determine tin prices,? he said.

Meanwhile, government has set the refined tin output limit at 105,000 metric tons for 2009, Hartojo Agus Tjahjono, Trade Ministry's export director of mining and industry products said Saturday.

The Bangka Belitung province will have a 90,000 tons limit while Riau Islands province gets 15,000 tons, Tjahjono told reporters in Bogor.

Bambang Setiawan, director general of coal and minerals at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said Oct. 13 Indonesia may produce 86,000 tons of refined tin this year, less than 100,000 tons forecast earlier. (*)