Japan Major 6 Smelters to Reduce Cu Output by 1.7% in 1H F2009

Japanese 6 major copper smelters plan to reduce the ingot production by 1.7% to 737,072 tonnes in first half year of fiscal 2009 started April from same period of fiscal 2008. Japanese 5 smelters reduce the output by 15% to 244,113 tonnes for zinc ingot and by 12.6% to 96,324 tonnes for lead ingot in the period.

Pan Pacific Copper announced on Monday the firm reduces the copper ingot production by 3.2% to 290,300 tonnes in the first half of fiscal 2009 from same period of fiscal 2008. Nippon Mining & Metals reduces the production by 7.3% to 198,500 tonnes while Hibi Kyodo Smelting, in which Nippon Mining & Metals has interests, increases the production by 7.1% to 91,800 tonnes.

The copper smelters reduce the production in the first half of fiscal 2009 marginally from same period of fiscal 2008 when their production level was low in first half of fiscal 2008 due to lower grade ore. Sumitomo Metal Mining’s copper ingot production decreased by 20% to 165,884 tonnes in first half of fiscal 2008 from same period of fiscal 2007.