In a surprise move today, Indonesia’s trade ministry confirmed that it had issued export licences to three more private smelters, bringing the total number of companies able to legally export tin up to 22. The ministry approved export licences on November 21 for PT Fang Di Multindo, PT Alam Lestari and CV Makmur Jaya, which have smelters on the Bangka-Belitung islands, an official told Reuters.
The trade ministry introduced the licensing system in February last year in order to help control illegal mining on Bangka and Belitung islands. No licences have been issued since June 2008, and provincial governor Eko Maulana Ali said in August that he would not recommend the issue of any more. Most independent smelters on the islands have been closed since the start of October as a result of the fall in world tin prices.
The trade ministry reported at the start of the month that the volume of tin checked for export under the scheme fell sharply to only 4,439 tonnes in October, giving a cumulative figure for the first 10 months of the year of 79,975 tonnes. Shipments are likely to remain very low in November-December as mining activity is restricted by low prices, police activity and the onset of the monsoon.
