Provisional data published today by Indonesia’s trade ministry showed the tonnage of tin checked prior to export fell by 9.2% year-on-year to 7,722 tonnes in December. Total cumulative tonnage for 2010 was 92,487 tonnes, 6.8% lower than in 2009. The statistics are based on surveyor reports compiled as part of the ministry’s export licensing system. Final official customs data will not be published for several months.
Last week some news reports based on an interview with a senior official at the energy and mineral resources ministry suggested that Indonesia’s tin metal production fell to only 78,965 tonnes in 2010, but ITRI believes that this considerably understates output and that the latest information is a better guide to actual performance. Indonesian production has nevertheless been adversely affected by bad weather, lower production from small-scale onshore miners and declining raw material stocks held by state-controlled producer PT Timah. The energy and mineral resources ministry forecasts that tin metal production in 2011 will be around 90,000 tonnes, assuming prices remain high.
