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| HOME >> Topics List >> April, 2009 >> 13 (Mon) |
| Prices Of Manganese Ores For China Are Still On Basic Tone To Fall |
| = Price Of Low Grade Ore Is In State To Collapse |
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In the course of that the quantities of ferro-alloys produced in China are unable to increase, a continuous fall of prices for manganese ores to be imported by China as raw material is remarkable. Particularly, some of major manganese mines have been driven to face the difficulties for sales of low grade manganese ore with Mn 40% max., which has been produced and supplied by such growing countries as Malaysia. Indonesia, and so on. In order to hold down these growing countries, major manganese mines have adopted the strategy to offer medium grade manganese ore with Mn 44 - 45% for China at a price level of US$5.00 per Mn 1% CIF for shipments in the first half (January - June) of 2009. However, this considerable reduction of price for medium grade ore is thought to be not possible to restrain the offensive to sell manganese ore taken by the growing countries. A probability to fall price of medium grade manganese ore to a level of US$3.00 per Mn 1% has enlarged. Spot price of low grade manganese ore with Mn 40% max. for China has already fallen to a level of US$3.50 per Mn 1% CIF China for South African ore and, also, spot price of the same grade ore produced in Cote d'Ivoire has been quoted at a lower price than US$4.00 per Mn 1% CIF. It seems that Chinese producers of manganese ferro-alloys have aimed to purchase low grade manganese ore at a lower price than US$3.00 per Mn 1% CIF. China imported 632,000 tons of manganese ores in the first 2 months (January and February) of 2009, having had a considerable decrease of 41.5% compared with that (1,081,000 tons) in the same period of 2008, Because of the fact that major manganese mines offered medium grade lumpy manganese ore with Mn 44% at US$16.20 - 16.30 per Mn 1% CIF China for shipments in October - December quarter of 2008, these major mines missed a chance to have actual contracts and, therefore, the imports of manganese ore from such major sources as South Africa, Australia, Brazil and Gabon into China have decreased to a large extent. The quantities of manganese ore imported from main sources into China in January - February of 2009 were <> from Australia : 96,000 tons (decreased by 76% from that in the same period of 2008), <> from Brazil : 49,000 tons (decreased by 65% from that in 2008), <> from Gabon : 111,000 tons (decreased by 36% from that in 2008) and <> from South Africa : 116,000 tons (decreased by 51% from that in 2008). On the other hand, the quantities of low grade manganese ore imported from growing countries into China in January - February of 2009 were <> from Malaysia : 71,000 tons (increased by 5 times from that in the same period of 2008) and <> from Indonesia : 25,000 tons (increased by 50% from that in 2008), having shown a substantial expansion. The cost price of low grade manganese ore produced in these growing countries is estimated to be higher than US$5.00 per Mn 1% but, according to the customs-statistics released in China, the unit prices of low grade ore imported from these growing countries into China were on a level of US$3.00 to 4.00 per Mn 1% CIF. In view of the fact that spot price of medium grade manganese ore with Mn 44 - 45% prevailed in January - March quarter of 2007 was on a level of US$3.00 per Mn 1%, it is anticipated to return to this price level in an unexpectedly earlier time, because the quantities of ferro-alloys to be produced in China for 2009 are supposed to have a considerable decrease. The quarterly prices of manganese ore for China moved during January 2007 to June 2009 are as per the table shown below. |
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| last modified : Thu 16 Apr, 2009 [09:50] |
