Trade ministry data released today shows that the volume of tin checked for export from Indonesia in February rose by 15% relative to February 2008 to 8,534 tonnes. In addition several thousand tonnes of tin held up by customs in January was also released and shipped last month. Including a revised figure of 6,338 tonnes for January, the total tonnage of tin approved for export by surveyors in January-February, at 14,872 tonnes, was down 14% compared to the first two months of last year.
Over the twelve months to end-February 85,689 tonnes of tin metal has been checked for export under the trade ministry’s export licencing scheme. Volumes dropped to low levels of around 4,000 tpm in the fourth quarter of 2008, as the main private smelters halted shipments and cut or stopped production. The rise in recent months is thought to partly reflect the shipment of stocks accumulated at the end of last year, as well as some recovery in production levels as the monsoon season comes to an end.
