IPOH, March 19 — The Perak state government has requested for an exemption from the non-radioactive rare earth elements (NR-REE_ export moratorium, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said.

He added that the state government has received RM21.1 million in royalties from February to November last year from NR-REE mining, especially those in the Kenering Hulu Perak subdistrict and would lose the royalties if the federal government stopped Perak from exporting NR-REE.

"So we are asking that the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) to provide an exemption to Perak and allow us to export till a policy is created and set by the ministry,” he said at a media conference after presenting aid from the Perak State Agriculture Development Corporation (SADC), which was also attended by Perak SADC group chief executive officer Datuk Yahanis Yahya here today.

Saarani also said NRES needed to consider setting up an entity that can be a buyer of NR-REE as there are investors offering themselves to open up the upstream and downstream industry.

"Hopefully we will meet with the ministry to provide some preferences to Perak as we have things we cannot export, so we need an entity to buy and process it in the country,” he said, following reports that Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad issued a reminder to state governments to adhere to the export moratorium that took effect since January 1.

Nik Nazmi had also said that a letter with a reminder about the matter was issued to all state governments on March 6. — Bernama