Govt to form an evaluation team on mineral added value

By Adianto P. Simamora

The government has formed a team of mineral experts from various institutions and universities to help smooth out the implementaton of the new regulaton on mineral value added.

Director of Mineral Business Development at the Ministry Dede Ida Suhendra said that the team's main responsibility will involve the evaluation of proposals submitted by mining companies during the three months before the mineral ore export deadline in May 2012.

"The team is not active yet, still awaiting for approval, but once they're active, they will have to visit the related mining companies and offer consultation regarding their operation," he said, adding that the team should start their work soon.

The issuance of the regulation by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Number 7/2012 on Mineral Value Added by Mineral Processing and Refining Activities has received a lot of discerning comments from industry players, as it aims at strictly prohibiting mineral ore exports as of May 2012.

Editing by David Mustakim