Nickel Ore Exports To China Continue To Rise

Palu, C Sulawesi, Dec 4 (ANTARA) - Exports of nickel ores to China from Central Sulawesi have continued to increase in the past several months. In October exports of nickel ore to China rose 81.8 percent to 885,000 tons from the previous month, the regional office of the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) said. Head of the regional office of BPS Ibram Syahboedin attributed the increase to improved condition of the Chinese economy after recording a slowdown earlier. Ibram said in September 2012, Central Sulawesi exported 487,200 tons of nickel ores to China worth US$12.1 million. In August exports rose to 308,800 tons from 273,900 tons in July, but the export earning fell to only US$6.6 million from US$7.5 million. Cumulatively in the first 10 months of the year, nickel ore exports to China totaled 4.9 million tons worth US$134.3 million. Exports to China are supplied mainly from the regencies of Morowoli and Tojo Una-Una. Sulawesi is the country`s largest producer of nickel. China needs large supply of nickel ores to feed its large electronic industry . Ibram said he hopes the growing trend of exports to China could be maintained . In the past two years China has become the largest market for nickel ores from Central Sulawesi . Nickel has been the main export earner for the province with exports to various countries in the world including Japan Its second main export earner is cacao beans but its cacao exports are declining lately on falling demand in the world market. In addition, pests have attacked the crop in wide areas in the province. In October 2012, cacao exports form Central Sulawesi dropped 71.8 percent to 2,100 tons from 7,600 tons in the previous month.