China's March battery-grade manganese sulphate output and April forecast

China's output of high-purity manganese sulphate was 13,800 mt in March, up 56.8% MoM. According to the survey, the output increase is driven by production resumption by most manganese sulphate smelters after the Spring Festival and robust demand from downstream precursor enterprises. In March, as costs continued to rise, most manganese sulphate smelters in Guizhou halted production for maintenance. Low inventory caused an overall tight supply. Downstream precursor companies mostly took a wait-and-see attitude towards the price hike and maintained purchases for essential needs. The purchasing volume has increased compared to February. Integrated precursor companies all determined production based on sales. It is expected that entering April, the quotations of high-purity manganese sulphate will remain high, supported by costs. High-purity manganese sulphate smelters that were shut down for maintenance may gradually resume production based on orders of downstream precursor enterprises, resulting in a continuous increase in the output. China's output of high-purity manganese sulphate is estimated to reach 16,000 mt in physical content in April, up 15.9% MoM.