This year’s production quota will be 93,800 tons. That would be an increase of about 5% over 2010. No new licenses for rare earths, tungsten or antimony mines would be granted before June 30, 2012. The announcement made no mention of altering plans announced in December to reduce export quotas for the first half of this year by about 11% from a year earlier to 14,446 tons. Last week, the government announced a tax increase on rare earths in another move to limit exports.
Sources: Associated Press, Manufacturing Net, Ministry of Land and Resources
