Tin ore export ban delayed
Tuesday, April 9 2002 - 11:03 PM WIB
Trade and Industry Ministry said on Wednesday it will delay imposing a ban on exports of tin ore by three or four months as domestic smelters were not yet ready to process all the locally produced ore.
The ban, scheduled to take effect from April 1, was aimed at stopping the rampant illegal mining that has caused environmental damage and depressed world tin prices with a glut of the metal.
"The ban will take place within the next three or four months. The government will decide on the definite time on May 1," Ferry Yahya, director of agriculture and mining exports, told Reuters.
Indonesia's tin sector has been badly hit by illegal mining as shown by the sharp fall in 2001 net profit at state-owned PT Timah Tbk , the world's largest integrated tin maker. (*)