Provisional data indicates that Indonesian tin exports may have fallen from March to April. Bloomberg reported that the nation exported 7,857.92 metric tons worth $155.35 million last month, compared with 8,606.27 tons worth $157.53 million in March.
The data was distributed to reporters by the trade ministry today, and is based on surveyors’ reports on the volume of tin checked prior to export. The reporting is part of the export licencing system for tin introduced in February 2007. The ministry has recently announced that a similar system will be applied to exports of other metals later this year.
No tin was cleared for export in April 2007, at a time when Indonesia’s independent smelters were all still shut down. Cumulative clearances for export by the ministry have amounted to 33,810 tonnes in the first four month of this year and 109,275 tonnes in the twelve months to April 2008.
