The flooding caused by torrential rains that have battered central China's Henan province since last weekend has disrupted logistics and deliveries there although production remains largely unaffected, market sources told Fastmarkets.
Henan, one of China's most populous provinces, is a major production hub for base metals including lead, zinc, copper and nickel.
Some regions of the province, including capital Zhengzhou and cities such as Gongyi and Xinxiang, have been flooded by record-breaking rainfall.
Henan's transport network has been disrupted by the rains, with railways, highways and roads closed and flights delayed or cancelled in the worst-hit areas.
Market participants said their deliveries of finished products to markets outside of the province have been hit by the flooding but they expect to resume them gradually thanks to an easing in the weather, and with a minor overall impact on supply.
"There are some transport problems," a local copper fabricator source said. "Highways and roads closed after the flooding, making our deliveries impossible."
"Deliveries of primary lead to cities such as Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang...