South Africa: Manganese ore exports inch up in August on rising Chinese demand

South Africa's manganese ore exports rose by 2.4% m-o-m to 1.876 million tonnes (mn t) in August 2022. The major importing countries were China (1.436 mn t), followed by Norway (0.11 mn t), Singapore (0.063 mn t), and India (0.032 mn t). Meanwhile, in January-August 2022, exports were up 3.5 % y-o-y compared to the corresponding period last year (CPLY).

• Exports to China up 42% m-o-m
  Manganese ore imports by China surged 42% to 1.436 mn t in August 2022. The rise in import is mainly due to good buying interest from alloy manufacturers.
  
  
• Exports to India down 80% m-o-m
  India imported 0.032 mn t of chrome ore in August 2022 - a sharp fall of 80% m-o-m due to weak demand from manganese alloys manufacturers, owing to production cuts amid a bearish market.
  
  
• Exports to Japan negligible
  Japan's imports were almost negligible from South Africa in August. The imports fell due to weak demand from manganese alloy producers as buyers were cautious about booking material in the continued downtrend manganese alloys market.
  
  
• Exports to Norway up 50% m-o-m
  South African manganese ore exports to Norway increased by 50% m-o-m to 0.11 mn t in August. In January-August 2022, cumulative exports reported rose by 39% to 0.465 mn t.