Ministry Supports Ban On Mineral Ore Imports

Palembang, South Sumatra, Nov 1 (Antara) - The Indonesian Ministry of Industry has voiced its strong support of the ban on imports of raw mineral ores, noting it will be implemented in January 2014. "Of course the Ministry of Industry is very supportive and wants to implement (the ban) as soon as possible," said Director General of the Ministry of Industry Manufacturing Base Industry Benny Wachjudi on the sidelines of the Indonesian Chambers` National Leadership Meeting here on Friday. The meeting upholds the theme of "Increasing value through downstream industries to optimize exports." Benny noted that the ban fell under the purview of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, but the Ministry of Industry strongly supported it. Benny pointed out that according to regulations, all mineral companies must conduct programs to add value and introduce processing or purification systems. Regarding the mineral processing facility, Benny said several proposals have already been submitted. There are already 28 proposals with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, and this number is likely to continue to increase. Several proposals have also been submitted to the Investment Coordinating Board, which must be reviewed to evaluate whether any proposals require further coordination.