South African manganese ore exports soar, threatening oversupply in China [UPDATED]

Exports of manganese ore from South Africa are on track to almost quadruple from April to July, according to preliminary unofficial data seen by Fastmarkets, and the majority will head to China, where inventories are already rising and prices have fallen sharply.

South Africa will export almost 2 million tonnes of manganese ore in July from around 500,000 tonnes in April when South Africa was under strict lockdown, according to the early estimates.
This raises the prospect of large volumes of ore entering a market that was already becoming oversupplied.
Exports have been volatile in recent months due to various global lockdowns imposed to slow the spread of the virus. South Africa's exports were unusually low in April but started to rebound in May and reached a very high level above 1.9 million tonnes in June, according to the unofficial data seen by Fastmarkets.

The 37% manganese ore market is heavily exposed to South Africa so prices have fluctuated widely recently...

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