Bloomberg reported that the tin market is poised for a fifth year of shortages as new rules in Indonesia curb exports, driving up costs for manufacturers of everything from tablet computers to TVs to telephones.

Indonesia, accounting for 40% of global supply, introduced a rule on August 30 that refined tin must be traded on a local exchange before it can be shipped. A lack of buyers on domestic bourses and a delay in trading permits spurred PT Timah the largest producer, and smaller smelters to halt most sales.

Mr Agung Nugroho corporate secretary of Timah said that exports may drop 19% this year.

Barclays said that tin prices more than tripled since 2005 as producers failed to keep pace with demand. Shortages started in 2010 and will continue into next year. Futures that climbed 8% last week will rise another 6% to USD 24,275 per tonne on the London Metal Exchange by the end of the year.

Mr Peter Kettle the research manager at St Albans, UK based ITRI which is mostly funded by producers and smelters said that "It’s just confusion. We expect to see significant disruptions in exports for August and September. Then we may see gradual stabilization."

Indonesia introduced the new regulation as part of efforts to increase the value of commodity exports and strengthen control over supply. The country toughened rules for the purity of its tin exports in July and imposed a 20% export tax on shipments of mineral ores before a complete ban is scheduled to start next year.