Provisional data issued by Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade today indicate that the volume of tin being shipped from Indonesia remains large, and may have increased in the last month.
The surveyors’ reports used by the Ministry show that 13,509 tonnes of metal was inspected prior to export last month, up from 9,415 tonnes in September. However it should be noted that actual monthly exports have diverged considerably from the survey data in recent months and occasionally the survey data itself has been substantially revised.
Nevertheless the latest report, based on the export licencing system which was introduced in February, does indicate a continuing high level of activity by the small number of independent smelters which resumed tin shipments in May this year. Apart from Indonesia’s two major integrated producers, PT Timah and PT Koba Tin, six private smelters have been exporting tin in recent months: PT Bangka Putra Karya, CV DS Jaya Abadi, CV Donna Kembara, PT Bilitin Makmur Lestari, PT Tinindo Internusa and PT Mitra Stania Prima.
