Indonesia plans minimum tin reference price to stabilise market
Tuesday, January 27 2026 - 06:41 AM WIB
Indonesia will soon introduce a minimum reference price for tin to help stabilise the market and protect domestic miners from global price volatility, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on Sunday.
The planned regulation will set a benchmark based on minimum production costs, which Bahlil said would serve as a safeguard so that international price swings do not disproportionately affect small-scale and community tin miners.
Bahlil said the policy is also aimed at improving governance in major tin-producing regions such as Bangka Belitung and ensuring that local communities benefit alongside large businesses. The government has been coordinating with the House of Representatives’ Commission XII to accelerate the issuance of the regulation.
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The ministry expects the measure to support price stability and encourage investment in downstream tin processing, particularly in Bangka Belitung.
President Prabowo Subianto said in October 2025 that about 1,000 illegal tin mines in Bangka Belitung had been shut down for operating without permits and failing to pay taxes. Indonesia is among the world’s largest tin producers, but illegal mining and smuggling have reduced official output.
Global tin prices have risen sharply in recent months, reaching a record high of more than US$53,000 per tonne on Jan. 14, following supply constraints and enforcement actions in Indonesia.
Editing by Alexander Ginting