Indonesia mulls tin output limits, export quotas: govt official

[Jakarta] Indonesia government is considering imposing tin output limits and export quotas, a mines ministry official said on Tuesday, as the world's top exporter looks to support benchmark prices that have plunged to 14-month lows.

In August, a group of Indonesian tin sellers put in place a self-imposed slowdown in exports in an attempt to boost prices, but this appeared to have little impact as government data showed that September exports rose 51 per cent from the previous month to 5,441.55 tonnes.

While coal and minerals Director General Sukhyar told reporters he could not provide a production target, he highlighted a study that showed capping output at 35,000-45,000 tonnes this year would help raise prices.

Indonesia's overall output is seen falling 13 per cent to 80,000 tonnes in 2014. REUTERS