The Northern Miner, first published in 1915, during the Cobalt Silver Rush, is considered Canada’s leading authority on the mining industry. Editor John Cumming MSc (Geol) is one of the country’s most well respected mining journalists. jcumming@northernminer.com
The crisis for miners in Indonesia that quietly built up over late December has exploded in the new year, as miners active there grapple with sweeping new restrictions on exports of raw concentrates from the country.
Indonesia’s unprocessed minerals export ban was proposed in 2009, but only came into force on Jan. 12. Importantly, not all commodities are treated equally and, thanks to some last-minute manoeuvering, the ban is not structured in the way it was first proposed.
On the part of miners, the broad attitude of denial — that the Indonesian government was playing chicken with concentrate exporters — is now giving way to more sober assessments of how to work under the new rules.
There are already mineral concentrates that have been exempted from the export ban and can still be exported: copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, iron sands and manganese.