Govt to issue rulings on tin exports Thursday
Tuesday, January 29 2002 - 01:24 AM WIB
"I'm going to sign them (the new rulings) on Thursday. We are now at the stage of adding the finishing touches," Rini told reporters on Monday after a meeting with a visiting trade delegation from the Netherlands.
The new ruling on tin exports will replace the existing ministerial decree No.146/1999, which permitted the export of tin concentrate, and represents part of a bid to help curb rampant illegal tin mining, which only produces concentrate.
"Another alternative would be to authorize only certain exporters in respect of tin exports," he said.
State-owned tin mining company PT Timah has repeatedly blamed rampant illegal mining at its mining sites on Bangka and Belitung islands for causing a plunge in tin prices as the illegal miners produce an output that is almost equal to Timah's annual tin production of 40,000 tons.
According to Timah, there are 6,000 groups of illegal miners on the islands producing a total output of 30,000 tons per annum.
Since the middle of 2001, tin prices have fallen to US$3,630 per ton, the lowest level in the last three decades, while Timah's production cost stands at about $4,200 per ton. (*)