Provisional trade ministry data released today indicates a substantial fall in tin metal exports last month. The quantity of tin checked prior to export in April was 7,489 tonnes, 22.9% down on the same month last year and 4.9% lower than the 8,608 tonnes checked in March. Cumulative tonnage inspected by surveying companies working for the ministry in January-April was 29,802 tonnes, down 7.7% compared to the first four months of 2011.
While month-to-month fluctuations in the figures may reflect variations in the timing of inspections and shipments, there does appear to be a declining trend in Indonesian supply this year. State company PT Timah recently reported a 20% fall in refined tin production in Q1 and PT Koba Tin’s production has also fallen this year, although there are few signs of a reduction in small-scale mining activity.
