China the largest iron ore importer of the world has imported 0.93 MnT pellets in May’17 according to the trade data released by Chinese Customs. China pellet imports were down by 48% M-o-M against the quantity of 1.78 MnT in Apr’17.
The pellet imports by the country were down by 20% Y-o-Y as well for the month which were 1.17 MnT in May’16.
However, for the first five months of 2017, China pellet imports were at 8.32 MnT 31% up Y-o-Y compared to the quantity of 6.35 MnT for the corresponding period in 2016.
Country-Wise China Pellets Import in May’17
China mainly imports high-grade pellets from India, Australia, Ukraine, Brazil and Ukraine, etc. In May’17, India exported 0.48 MnT pellets to China and continues to remain the largest exporter of pellets to China. India is actively exporting high-grade pellets to China in order to fulfill its pellet appetite. Australia turned out to be the second largest pellet exporter with 0.18 MnT pellets in May’17.
Increased Pellets Export in Coming Months from India
According to an East India based exporter the demand for lump & pellets in China is good and is likely to remain strong till Sept as Chinese steel mills are giving preference to high grade ore due to higher coking coal prices.
For the coming months the higher exports can be expected as according to sources the realization are quite high at the moment and SteelMint have assessed the Indian pellet (Fe64/63%) export offers at around USD 99-100/MT, CFR, China currently.
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