Global Mn ore output dips 1% over Jan-Sept

Global manganese ore production decreased by a slight 1% on year to 43.9 million tonnes during this year's January-September period, Eva Yang, China representative of the International Manganese Institute (IMnI) told delegates attending the International Ferroalloy and Stainless Steel Industry Annual Conference on 16 November.
The decrease was mainly reflected in production in Africa, China and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, Yang said at the conference in Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu province.

Output in South Africa, the world's largest manganese ore producer and exporter, totalled 16.6 million tonnes over January-September, up 3% from the same period last year. In parallel, the country's total exports for the first nine months increased by 4% on year, according to the report.

More than a half of the world's manganese ore is sold to China, while another major importer is India - the world's second-largest producer of manganese alloys, following China, Yang noted.

Over January-September, China's total manganese ore imports reached 23.37 million tonnes, higher by 1.16 million tonnes or 5.2% from the same period last year, according to data from the country's General Administration of Customs (GACC).

However, during the same period, India's manganese ore imports declined by 13% on year to 3.9 million tonnes, despite the 10% on-year rise in its consumption of this ore to 6.8 million tonnes during the same period. The slide in Indian imports occurred because of boost domestic production of Mn ore, New Delhi had requested local manganese alloy smelters to reduce their dependence on imports, Yang said.

For the first three quarters of this year, India's manganese ore output increased to 2.5 million tonnes as against the 2.3 million tonnes mined during the same period last year, the report showed.

Over January-September, global manganese alloy output topped 17.2 million tonnes, up 6% from the same period last year, according to Yang's report, with the growth seen mainly in China where production jumped by 15% on year to 10.9 million tonnes.

Note: This article has been written in accordance with an article exchange agreement between Mysteel Global and SteelMint.