Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment has rejected a proposal by nickel miners to allow the export of nickel ore again. Ministry's spokesman Jodi Mahardi told Reuters “The Indonesian nickel miners' association APNI proposed this month that the country allow exports of nickel ore to cushion the impact on processed nickel exports by global measures to control the coronavirus outbreak. We reject the relaxation of the ban on nickel ore exports. The contributions of processed nickel exports to total exports have increased significantly in the first quarter. Relaxation of the ban would cause world nickel prices to fall amid falling iron and steel demand.”

Indonesia, once the world's biggest nickel ore exporter, started banning exports of the ore in January to boost expansion of its domestic smelting industry.

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