According to BPS data, as of October 2019, the export volume of nickel ore in Indonesia has reached 26.65 million tons, or exceeded the 26.06 million tons quota approved by esdm. Nevertheless, the Ministry of energy and mineral resources refuted the claim that nickel ore exports exceeded the quota.
Unfortunately, the Ministry of energy and mineral resources is reluctant to explain the differences in this data. Yunus saefulhal, manager of mining and mentoring at the Ministry of energy and mineral resources, said, "please forgive me for not commenting on nickel ore issues."
The discrepancy in nickel ore export data is the main reason why the government suspended the export of nickel ore for two weeks from October 29. But now, the ban has been lifted since the government set up an investigation team. According to the investigation, the export quota has not been exceeded. Although the number of ships carrying nickel ore from China increased from about 30 under normal conditions to 150.
Bambang gatot, director of the coal and Minerals Bureau of the Ministry of energy and mineral resources, said there was no sign of deviation in the field verification of the dramatic increase in the number of ships carried by erifikasi.
One reason, he claims, is that mining companies want to be able to use up the remaining nickel ore export quotas by the end of the year. "In line with the quotas and mining capacity issued."
In August 2019, the government announced the policy of accelerating the prohibition of nickel ore export, which came into effect at the beginning of 2020. The original plan was to allow nickel ore export to 2022.
In fact, before August 2019, some mining companies had been granted export quotas until 2020. As a result, the company actively increased its output so as to implement the export quota by the end of 2019. "Mining companies are trying to catch up with the ban on exports in January 2020."
According to the investor daily, there was a sharp rise in nickel ore exports in 2013, reaching 64.8 million tons, near the time of prohibition. At that time, the government announced that since the beginning of 2014, the export of coarse ore was prohibited, and according to coal and minerals Act No. 4 of 2009, the export opportunities of coarse ore were clarified for five years.
According to the data of the Central Statistical Agency (Indonesia), the actual export volume of nickel ore in 2010 reached 17.5 million tons, which is higher than that of 10.4 million tons in 2009. Next, in 2011, exports soared to 40.7 million tons or 132% higher than the same period last year. In 2012, the number of exports increased again to 48.4 million tons.
In 2013, the export volume soared, or at the last moment of the implementation of the export ban in 2013, the export volume reached 64.8 million tons.
In 2017, the (Indonesian) government once again opened the export channel of nickel ore, but the export license was limited, that is, only to the mining companies that built smelters. Evaluate the construction and development of smelters every six months. If the construction progress of smelters fails to reach 90% of the target, sanctions will be imposed, i.e. the export license will be cancelled.
