Malaysia’s tin sector can thrive again

Apr 25, 2012 | 02:45 AM |

Malaysia’s tin mining sector can thrive again now that tin prices have stabilised above $20,000 per tonne, Dato Haji Musa Bin Haji Nordin, executive chairman of tin miner Kuari Batu Emas, told Metal Bulletin. Kuari Batu Emas produces 2,000-2,200 tpy of tin that it sells entirely to Malaysian Smelting Corp, the world’s second-largest tin company. “In the 1970s, Malaysia was the largest tin producer in the world. But in the 1980s, tin prices collapsed, resulting in people quickly abandoning the sector. So it was not because tin resources were running out” Musa told MB at the ITRI International Tin Conference in Cape Town. “There are still rich tin resources yet to be exploited in Malaysia. Given the tin prices above $20,000 today, we can see people are looking into developing these tin mines again,” he added. If tin prices can continue to rise to....