New ministry regulation about domestic ore sales to be introduced Dec.2013

By Hiski Darmayana

The Indonesian MInistry of Trade has stated it expects to introduce a ministerial regulation that will serve as guideline for the domestic sales of mineral ores after ore export ban in January 6, 2014.

Mineral and Industrial Product Export Director of the Ministry of Trade Thamrin Latuconsina told Petromindo.com on the sideline of Asia Nickel Conference at Nusa Dua Bali that the new ministerial regulation will be issued in December 2013 and will regulate domestic ore selling activities subjected to mineral miners that have no capacity to build their own smelter or initiate their own value added processing.

"We will give them room to cooperate with other companies by selling their ores to companies that already have smelters," he said today, adding that the socialization of the new regulation will start between October and November next year to avoid confusion.

"We will not let miners who can't make their own smelters just die, this is why we're releasing this new regulation," he said.

Editing by Er Audy Zandri