Indonesia To Ban Export Of Metal Ore In 2014

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya JAKARTA, Feb 11 (Bernama) -- Indonesian Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Jero Wacik has signed a ministerial regulation to ban exports of metal ore beginning 2014. The regulation stipulates that all raw metals, including gold, copper, nickel, bauxite and iron will have to be processed in the country, as mandated by the 2009 Minerals and Coal Laws. The Jakarta Post reported on Saturday that the ban was aimed, among others, to boost the country's metal production, to utilise the processed products for domestic purposes and by-products as raw material for chemical and fertilizer industries and to increase the country's revenue. The report quoted Indonesian Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Widjajono Partowidagdo as saying that the regulation did not oblige every mining company to build a smelter, but they were allowed to process the metal ore at any smelter in the country. "The most important thing is that the smelters are located in Indonesia. Many investors has expressed interest in building smelters here, so a mining company can choose to build its own smelter," he said. -- BERNAMA