The Ministry Of Industry Strengthens The Downstreaming Of Copper And Tin, Aims To Be The Main Player In The International

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) said that Indonesia has a copper reserve of 28 million tons. In addition, Indonesia is also the second largest tin producer in the world, with a contribution of 14 percent to total global production.

The Director General of Metal, Machinery, Transportation Equipment and Electronics (ILMATE) of the Ministry of Industry, Setia Diarta, said that his party continues to strengthen downstreaming and increase the competitiveness of the national copper and lead industries.

"The great potential needs to be continuously optimized in order to provide higher added value for the national economy," he said in a written statement, quoted Wednesday, October 30.

Setia Diarta said that downstreaming should be the main focus to produce products with higher added value, such as copper cathodes, tin plates and other downstream products.

"This will also strengthen Indonesia's position as a major player in the international market," he said.

He added that the Ministry of Industry will form a material center for copper and tin. This raw material center is expected to be the parent of well-coordinated innovation and distribution of raw materials for the domestic copper and tin industries.

"This material center will support downstreaming, reduce dependence on imports of raw materials and strengthen the efficiency of supply chains. Thus, it can encourage the growth of higher value product exports," he said.

However, Setia Diarta does not deny that one of the main challenges in the copper and tin industry is to reduce dependence on raw material exports.

Currently, most of Indonesia's copper is exported in the form of a low value added.

Therefore, starting January 1, 2025, copper concentrate and anode mud will be banned from exports.

"This is an effort to continue to encourage further downstreaming. On the other hand, tin is still widely exported in the form of raw metal," he concluded.