It is reported that Indonesia has awarded mineral export permits to 55 companies since it announced restrictions on such shipments this year which triggered a slump in June exports to key customers from Japan and China.
Among the 55 companies, 32 are nickel ore miners, 6 are iron ore miners, 2 are copper ore miners and 10 are bauxite miners.
It's known that Indonesia imposed new rules on mining exports including 20% export tax in May. The miners must be certified clear and clean and provide plans to process ores in order to obtain export permits under the new rules, ahead of a ban on unprocessed ore exports in 2014.
In early July, the number of approved firms stood at only 22. The slow approval rate made ore exports slump up to 90%, costing the mining industry of an estimated US$ 164 million a month in lost sales of nickel and bauxite and has led massive layoffs across the country