Reuters reported that China has set 2011 mining quotas for several minor metals increasing the permitted output of tungsten, tin, antimony, molybdenum and rare earths.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that the quotas limit output of tungsten ores to 87,000 tonnes, tin ores to 73,000 tonnes, antimony ores to 105,000 tonnes, molybdenum ores to 200,000 tonnes. The limits refer to metal content of the ores for tin and antimony or 65% tungsten trioxide and 45% molybdenum content.
It also reiterated an already announced quota for rare earth ores of 93,800 tonnes and said 90,400 tonnes could be smelted. It was not clear if the smelting quota was effectively a reduction of the amount of rare earths that could be produced. The 2011 quotas lift production by 5% to 12%.
Here is a table of the changes, in tonnes:
| 2010 quota | 2011 quota | Change | |
| Tungsten ores | 80,000 | 87,000 | 8.7% |
| Tin ores | 65,000 | 73,000 | 12.3% |
| Antimony ores | 100,000 | 105,000 | 5% |
| Molybdenum ores | 185,000 | 200,000 | 8.1% |
| Rare earths (mined) | 89,200 | 93,800 | 5.1% |
| Rare earths (smelted) | 86,000 | 90,400 | 5.1% |
(In tonnes)
(Sourced from Reuters)
