China’s Aug manganese ore imports drop to 14-month low

China’s imports of manganese ore resumed the downward spiral in August to reach a 14-month low of 2.2 million tonnes, off by a large 516,727 tonnes or 18.8% on-month after the short-lived recovery in July, according to the latest detailed data released by China’s General Administration of Customs.

The significant retreat in manganese ore imports was mainly attributed to the decrease in demand from silicomanganese smelters through the restrictions on energy use among power-intensive industries in Southwest China’s Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou regions. The power-use curbs impacted the local SiMn smelters and reduced their manganese ore consumption, Mysteel Global noted. Besides, domestic traders