Indonesia's refined tin exports fell 9.2 percent in December 2010 from the same month in 2009 while the full-year exports in 2010 fell nearly 7 percent as an unusually long rainy season curbed mining, trade ministry data showed on Monday.
Heavy rains and floods caused by the La Nina weather anomaly hit tin miners in Indonesia, squeezing supply from the world's top exporter and pushing the LME price to a record high of $27,500 a tonne in early November. Tin - used in food packaging and as an electronic solder stood - at $26,210 a tonne at 0838 GMT. It has eased 1.86 percent so far this year after a nearly 60 percent gain in 2010.
Indonesia shipped 7,722 tonnes of refined tin in December 2010, compared to 8,508 tonnes a year earlier, trade ministry data showed on Monday. "There had been problem in getting tin ore last year because of high rainfall throughout the year," said Junaedi, the head of exports of mining products at the trade ministry.
Refined tin exports from the world's top tin exporter also dropped 6.9 percent to 92,487 tonnes for the full year 2010, compared to 99,287 tonnes in 2009, the data showed. The wet weather worsened supply problem that has hit the country's tin industry in recent years. Indonesia's easily-accessible onshore reserves are depleting after centuries of unchecked mining while output from smaller producers has been hit by recent crackdowns on illegal extraction and a 2009 law requiring miners to obtain permits.
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