Major news agencies have reported radically different figures for Indonesian tin exports in August. According to Bloomberg today exports last month were 11,500 tonnes. Yesterday Reuters reported that exports had jumped to 17,811 tonnes, although an update later in the day said that the figure was for “ready-for-export tin”, based on surveyors’ reports. The trade ministry was the source of both stories.
The “definitive” figure given via Bloomberg today includes shipments of 5,644 tonnes by PT Timah and 965 tonnes by PT Koba Tin, implying that some 4,900 tonnes was shipped by independent smelters. It is possible that the larger number reported earlier by Reuters may have included tin shipped in July and/or metal not yet exported.
