Hence, it is important how Indonesia manages the resources.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Industry Ministry has said that rare earth metals (LTJ) are crucial for the manufacturing sector, hence it is necessary to calculate LTJ domestic reserves and create a road map for their utilization.

"LTJ are very crucial and the processing of the metals uses high technology. Hence, it is important how Indonesia manages the resources," Director General of Metal, Machinery, Transportation, and Electronic Equipment Manufacture at the ministry Taufiek Bawazie stated during a meeting with Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) here on Monday.

High knowledge and adequate technology skills are required to extract metals since they do not form a huge block of material, but are found in small portions, he noted.

However, they are not impossible to be mined if Indonesia has an excellent road map to excavate, explore, and extract LTJ.

Calculating the rare earth metal reserves is also important to determine which areas contain the resources.

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Hence, the director general said that the ministry is currently preparing a road map for the development of rare earth metals, since they will have a very strategic use for the defense, medical, and green technology industries in the future.

For instance, the commodity is useful for producing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tools and laser beams in the health manufacturing sector due to its optical power.

Furthermore, currently, Indonesia is still importing LTJ worth US$1 million to meet the demands of the domestic green technology industry. The ministry has estimated that the demand will become higher in the future.

"We have mapped the demand of the LTJ. We will attempt to establish the utilization regulations of the metals,” Bawazie said.

In addition, the metals can be used as magnets and catalysts, he added. They also have other specific industrial utilizations.

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Translator: Sella Gareta, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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