MEMR to audit tin smelters

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) will cooperate with the Bangka Belitung provincial administration to audit tin smelters in the province to help prevent illegal shipment and better manage the country?s tin industry, Bisnis Indonesia reported on Monday.

The paper quoted Inspector General at MEMR, Mochtar Husein as saying that the ministry must team up with the provincial administration of Bangka Belitung, the country?s key tin producing region, as the latter holds the authority in taking ?action? against bad smelter operators.

He said that the audit would focus on installed production capacity and production volume of the smelters as well as export volume.

Meanwhile, Director for Mineral Development and Management at MEMR, M. Hidayat said that the audit would also include the source of tin ore raw material for the smelters.

He added that the audit would help improve the management of the country?s tin industry to help contribute in the efforts to stabilize the price of the commodity, which has been under pressure during 2015. (*)