DMO for mineral commodities to be arranged per region

Although mineral miners have no longer been allowed to export ores since 2014, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources plans to apply a domestic market obligation (or DMO) policy linking it with demand for mineral ores from domestic smelters being developed in various regions, Bisnis Indonesia reported on Saturday.

The paper quoted Sujatmiko, Head of Public Communications at the ministry, as saying that the planned policy comes as there is increasing number of domestic smelters which have been completed.

He added that the planned DMO policy for mineral commodities can only be realized after the government completes the verification process of the mineral IUP mining business permits.

The Indonesia Smelter Industry Association (AP3I) has recently called on the government to ensure mineral ores supply for domestic smelters, following talks that the government was planning to relax the mineral ore export ban policy. Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Sudirman Said later assured that the government was not planning to allow miners to resume mineral ores export. (*)