Exports of nickel ore from the Philippines will decrease by 21 million tonnes in 2019, Koichi Ishihara of Nickel Asia Corp (NAC) told delegates to the 7th International Nickel Conference in Amsterdam on Thursday June 6.
The reduced export total for the year will be around 26 million tonnes, NAC said. The decrease comes while the nickel sector in the country faces internal pressure from high taxation and environmental concerns, as well as the consequences of growing nickel inventories in China and increased exports of nickel from Indonesia.The pressure put on the Philippines mining industry by taxation has been instrumental in damping production and exports since 2012, and shows no sign of easing, according to Ishihara, who is vice-president of marketing and procurement for NAC.A moratorium on new mineral agreements was imposed on the Philippines...