THE Philippine Nickel Industry Association (PNIA) on Tuesday said it will officially lobby for the Philippines to be included as a member of the International Nickel Study Group (INSG) as part of efforts to develop an industry road map and strengthen the country’s position as a key player in the global nickel trade.
Last month, PNIA became an industry observer in an INSG meeting in Lisbon, Portugal.The meeting was attended by more than 60 government and leading industry representatives from member-countries and international organizations that participated in a two-day discussion of current global nickel market trends.
In a statement, PNIA Chairman Isidro Alcantara said the Philippines will economically benefit from joining INSG considering the sustained demand for nickel driven by the steel manufacturing industry and advancements in the e-vehicle sector, particularly in Europe, Japan and China.
“As the leading nickel laterite ore supplier country in the world, our country’s significant contributions to the global nickel value chain is widely recognized. For our part, we need access to INSG’s wealth of knowledge and experience as input to our own road map to make it more responsive to global opportunities and become more effective in promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth for our country,” Alcantara explained.
PNIA President Dante Bravo said the engagement with INSG started during the conduct of PNIA’s “Nickel Initiative” held in March this year, where the Philippines was formally invited to join the global nickel group.
“While we remain optimistic as an industry, there are uncertainties and volatilities in the world nickel trade that we must not ignore. We would be in a better position to leverage on opportunities and mitigate the effects of headwinds if we engage in these international discussions,” Bravo said.