Resumen de China adapts to 'new normal' of dwindling high grade phosphate reserves

Industrial Minerals

• According to CCM's research, a difference of just 5% in the P[subscript]2 O[subscript]5 content of phosphate rock can double exploitation costs - for example, 28% P[subscript]2 O[subscript]5 phosphate rock costs $31/tonne on average to produce, while exploitation costs for 23% P[subscript]2 O[subscript]5 phosphate rock are as high as $73/tonne.

  Firstly, the government is likely to further restrict China's phosphate rock exports in an effort to slow down the depletion of the country's high-grade reserves. The government has already succeeded in reducing annual phosphate rock exports from 1.8m tonnes in 2008 to 350,000 tonnes in 2013 through the introduction of high export tariffs and export quotas, but even tougher measures may be implemented - possibly even a ban on exports.

  The insights shared in this article were taken from CCM's new report into China's phosphorus supply chain "China's Phosphorus Industry Forecast", published in March 2015