Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has set up a new mineral industry agency that will oversee the development of rare earths and radioactive materials, reported Reuters.
“This agency will manage the strategic materials industry that relates to the defence industry, because strategic materials are quite important for the sovereignty of the nation, as well as important for the improvement of our economy,” said agency chief Brian Yuliarto, who is also the higher education minister.
The news agency noted that Indonesia has been seeking to process rare earths found in tin ore.
Indonesia has large reserves of a number of critical minerals as well as deposits of rare earth elements, and it is a major producer of tin and nickel.
Source: Reuters