JAKARTA- Indonesia's nickel miners association urged the government on Thursday not to bring forward a ban on raw mineral exports from 2022.
The association's Secretary General Meidy Katrin Lengkey said the group has "indirect" knowledge of a plan to revise the regulation to bring forward the date of enforcement of the ban.
"Be consistent with the 2022 deadline because people have invested money to build smelters, they have borrowed money with an expectation they can still export until 2022," Lengkey told reporters. "If it stopped mid-way, many will be stalled."
Bambang Gatot Ariyono, director general of mineral and coal at Indonesia's mining ministry, was asked earlier on Thursday if there was a plan for any change, but told Reuters he did not want to comment on something that is "uncertain."
(Reporting by Fransiska Nangoy Editing by Ed Davies and Susan Fenton) ((Fransiska.Nangoy@thomsonreuters.com; +62 21 2992 7610; Reuters Messaging: fransiska.nangoy.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
