Spokesman for the Ministry of Industry, Febri Hendri Antoni Arif, revealed that Indonesia's position as a major exporter of downstream nickel metal products has continued to strengthen in recent years, especially after the downstream policy and the ban on nickel ore exports were implemented. Stainless steel exports, both in the form of slabs, HRC and CRC, touched USD 10.83 billion in 2022. This export value increased 4.9% from 2021 of USD 10.32 billion. Based on worldstopexport data in 2022, Indonesia is the world's first HRC exporter with a value of USD 4.1 billion. Febri added that exports of downstream products from other nickels also continue to increase rapidly. It was recorded that in 2022, the export value of ferronickel reached USD 13.6 billion, or an increase of 92% compared to the export value in 2021 of USD 7.08 billion. The export value of nickel matte also jumped by 300%, from USD 0.95 billion in 2021 to USD 3.82 billion in 2022.
Not only that, the presence of nickel in Indonesia is also able to hoist the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of the industry in the province where the nickel smelter is located. Southeast Sulawesi, as the largest nickel producer in Indonesia, experienced GDP growth in the processing industry by 16.74% in 2022, most of which was contributed by the nickel processing industry. The large nickel exports indicate the large role of the nickel industry. Then, when viewed from the Non-Tax Revenue gain, the nickel metal sector also experienced an amazing increase, especially from nickel-producing regions. Total Non-Tax Revenue from five nickel-producing provinces reached IDR 20.46 trillion throughout 2021 to the second quarter of 2023, with Southeast Sulawesi being the largest contributor to Non-Tax Revenue (IDR 8.73 trillion), followed by North Maluku (IDR 6.23 trillion). The presence of smelters in the framework of nickel downstream also has an impact on the MSMEs sector in the area around the smelter. In addition, economic agglomerations in the region have also increased.
Source:
https://wartaekonomi.co.id/read510572/berkat-hilirisasi-nikel-indonesia-jadi-eksportir-hrc-urutan-pertama-dunia
