Government may further limit tin exports

The government might further tighten the licensing procedures to export tin, and to impose export quota in order to stabilize the tin prices in the world market, Kontan reported Wednesday.

"There was a proposal during the inter-departmental meeting here recently to impose a quota in order to limit the tin exports," Diah Maulida, the Director General of Foreign Trade at the Trade Minister, said in Jakarta Tuesday.

The value of Indonesia's tin exports rose by 33 percent to US$157.53 million in March from $118.41 million in February, this year amid the surge in tin prices in the world market, which reached an average of $19,000 per ton during the month. In terms of volume, the tin export rose to 8,606.27 tons from 7,431.27 tons in the same period.

In the January to March period, the volume of tin exports rose to 25,951 tons from 21,814.08 tons in the same period of previous year.

The government has limited the tin exports by allowing only those with tin concession rights to carry out exports in a bid to curb the growing illegal tin mining in Bangka and Belitung, the country's largest tin producer. (*)