Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) this morning, Tuesday (12/10/2021), watched the event groundbreaking the construction of the PT Freeport Indonesia smelter in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Gresik, East Java.
Jokowi also expressed his pride that Indonesia was able to build a copper smelter plant for single line largest in the world.
“We received a report that the smelter to be built is by design single line, the largest in the world,” said Jokowi when giving a speech at the event groundbreaking the.
This factory, said Jokowi, after completion can process 1.7 million tons of copper concentrate into 600 thousand tons of copper cathode. Jokowi admitted that he could not imagine when this factory was completed.
“Imagine 1.7 million tons. If a small truck is raised, it can usually carry 3-4 tons. So how many trucks will line up here? If three tons per small truck, it means there are 600 thousand trucks lined up here. very big,” he said.
In response to this, Senior Economist Faisal Basri assessed that having the largest smelter in the world should not be too proud, unless it gains many benefits and advantages for the country and the people of Indonesia.
“Pak Jokowi today said that Indonesia will have the largest copper smelter plant in Gresik in the world. so what? What’s the biggest one? Is it beneficial for the country?,” said Faisal in the “CORE Media Discussion Beware of State Loss in Mining Investment”, Tuesday (12/10/2021).
Faisal said that what President Joko Widodo said today was exactly the same as what was conveyed in a gathering of 100 economists at CNBC Indonesia some time ago. Jokowi, according to him, is proud of the growth of iron and steel exports, which rose 95% this year.
“Until August, from US$ 6 billion to US$ 12 billion, almost 100% this is terrible, this is terrible, 95% growth and share so no. 3 after CPO and coal,” he said, repeating what Jokowi had said.
However, according to him, what experienced this sharp increase was iron (iron) and steel (steel) (HS 72). According to him, there are various kinds of iron and steel, some of which have no value to those that have a high value.
“But iron and steel these are various, there are no value until very high value,” he continued.
He further said, most of the commodities iron and steel (HS 72) is exported to China to support industrialization there.
“Most of the commodity exports of 72 iron and steel to China support industrialization in China,” he explained.
(wia)
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