Pangkalpinang, Bangka Belitung (Antara Babel) - President Director of state-owned tin mining company PT Timah Tbk, Sukrisno called on the government to expand downstream tin industry to accelerate community development and welfare.
"We have suggested this to President Joko Widodo and the Energy and Mineral Resource Minister, recommending cut in exports (of tin bars)," Sukrisno said here on Sunday.
Development of downstream tin industry would increase the added value of tin and open more jobs, he said.
He said expansion of downstream tin industry would also help prevent illegal mining and illegal trading.
"This would improve competitiveness of the country's tin industry , and tin consumption in the country would increase," he said.
Indonesia is the second largest producer of tin and the largest exporter of that commodity in the world.
Based on official data of ITRI in 2013, Indonesia produced 95,200 tons of tin or almost one third of the world's production of 290,600 tons or 44 percent of Asia's production of 218,200 tons.
"Our tin production is large and we could play the world of price setter instead of LME," he said.
Therefore, the program of the regional administration and central government to revise the licensing system and trade, and provided guidance for small scale miners would be important, he said.
"We have cooperated in developing 5,000 tin miners on shore. We could not yet do the same in offshore mining as it would need certain standards to preserve the environment and for working security," he added.