Governor of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Lalu Muhamad Iqbal said the existence of mineral refining facilities or smelters could be an entry point for a sustainable industry in West Sumbawa Regency.
"It takes the role of all parties to support the existence of a smelter as an entry point to make West Sumbawa an industrial area," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Sunday, March 9.
On March 8, 2025, Iqbal made his first working visit as Governor of West Nusa Tenggara to West Sumbawa to strengthen relations between the provincial government, local governments, industry players, and the community.
West Sumbawa is one of the districts rich in natural resources. This is what makes West Sumbawa the support for the economy of the mining sector.
He revealed that although the Green Stone mine, which is now being worked on by PT Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara, ended in 2030 and opened new mining blocks in other areas, West Sumbawa has become an industrial area.
The industrial ecosystem formed in West Sumbawa is expected to help increase economic growth, attract the attention of many investors, and provide fresh air to efforts to increase maximum employment.
"One of the advantages of strategic policies that can be carried out in this industrial area is the downstream industry, so that in the future it can be a driving force for improving the economy," concluded Iqbal.
Throughout 2024, the realization of outgoing duties in West Nusa Tenggara grew by IDR 1.14 trillion or equivalent to 46.45 percent on an annual basis. The total number of imports of issued duties in 2024 reached IDR 3.61 trillion, while the realization of duties issued in 2023 was only IDR 2.46 trillion.
The Office of Representative of the Directorate General of Treasury (DJPb) of West Nusa Tenggara stated that the growth in the realization of last year's export duties was driven by an increase in export activities of copper concentrate and concentrat export relaxation with the issuance of export approval letters since July 2024 at a rate of 7.5 percent.
Referring to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the economic growth rate of West Nusa Tenggara quarter-on-quarter reached 5.30 percent throughout 2024. The mining business field contributed to the gross regional domestic growth of 20 percent.
Head of BPS West Nusa Tenggara Wahyudin revealed that without a mine, the pace of economic growth in West Nusa Tenggara last year only moved 3.87 percent.
SEE ALSO:
In a hearing on PT Amman Mineral International's revenue with Commission XII of the DPR RI in Jakarta on February 19, 2025, President Director of Amman Mineral Internasional Rachmat Makkasau asked for flexibility to extend the export license for copper concentrates by 2025 due to new smelter operations of around 48 percent of the production capacity.
Smelter Amman is located in West Sumbawa Regency, West Nusa Tenggara. The mineral refining facility has a processing capacity of 900 tons of copper concentrate per year.
Of this amount, the factory can produce 220 thousand tons of copper cathodes, 801 thousand tons of sulfate acid, 18 tons of gold, 55 tons of silver, and 77 tons of selenium.
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