Indonesia to Ban Tin Exports as Part of Value-Addition Strategy

Jakarta—Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) is planning to halt tin exports as part of a strategic downstream processing initiative to increase domestic value addition.

Deputy Minister of ESDM Yuliot Tanjung stated that the policy represents a strategic government measure to ensure optimal tin utilisation within the country. The primary rationale for halting tin exports is to support the development of capital goods industries, particularly the solar panel sector, which is now expanding domestically.

“For tin, we are encouraging capital goods industries, especially solar panels produced domestically. There are already several solar panel industries operating in Indonesia, and tin will serve as one of the supporting factors for production,” Tanjung said during a meeting at the ESDM Ministry on Friday, 27 February 2026.

Beyond the renewable energy sector, tin is considered vital for developing Indonesia’s electronics and semiconductor industries, which are now national priorities. Semiconductor development is further outlined in the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) as a strategic sector requiring development, making it essential to ensure adequate domestic raw material supply.

Additionally, tin extraction generates associated minerals that have previously not been optimally utilised. These by-products include rare-earth metal potential and other critical minerals with high strategic value for the technology industry.

“In restructuring the mining sector, we hope that rare-earth metals and critical minerals present in tin extraction can be harnessed for domestic industrial development,” Tanjung added.