The Kelantan government will speed up the exploration of non-radioactive rare earth elements (NR-REE) for processing to generate revenue for the state.

Deputy Menteri Besar Mohamed Fadzli Hassan said several companies in China had shown interest in processing rare earths in the state.

“The state government wants NR-REE to be processed in Kelantan for greater profits compared to processing in China. We will discuss this with the Chinese companies.

“As we all know, Kelantan has received permission from the federal government to explore NR-REE, but it requires guidelines and standard operating procedures,” he was reported as saying by Bernama.

Fadzli said Kelantan is believed to have RM125 billion of the estimated RM700 billion worth of rare earths in Malaysia.

“Although the federal government has not yet permitted the export of NR-REE, except for a pilot project in Mukim Kenering, we hope this issue will be resolved.

“We will find the best way forward because we (Kelantan) cannot precede the federal government,” he added. – July 9, 2024.