Preliminary data from the ministry of trade shows a pick up in shipments of refined tin from Indonesia in April. In the latest month 7,926 tonnes of metals was checked prior to export by surveying companies, up from 6,576 tonnes the previous month and 30% higher than in April 2009.
The pick up was ascribed to improving weather conditions. Tin production in the first three months of 2010 was hurt by heavy monsoon rain and winds, which made it harder to mine for tin offshore. "Besides the improved weather, demand has picked up from a year ago because of the economic recovery," a trade official told Reuters.
The cumulative tonnage checked for export in the first four months of the year was 27,901 tonnes, down 12.9% compared to 32,041 tonnes in January-April last year.
