April 22 SMM rare earth spot price: praseodymium and neodymium oxide up 500 yuan / ton

[SMM Flash] The Democratic Republic of Congo produced approximately 868.94 tonnes of coltan in H1 2026, according to statistics from the country's Cellule Technique de Coordination et de Planification Minière (CTCPM) reported by La Guardia. Artisanal operations accounted for 803.73 tonnes, or approximately 92.5% of total output, while industrial production contributed 65.21 tonnes. Reported artisanal output increased sharply to 648.08 tonnes in Q2 from 155.65 tonnes in Q1. Haut-Lomami emerged as the leading reported artisanal coltan-producing province, contributing 490.67 tonnes during the period and overtaking Tanganyika. Industrial production remained highly concentrated, with MMR reportedly accounting for approximately 63 tonnes of the 65.21-tonne total. The figures highlight the continued dominance of artisanal mining in DRC coltan supply and the growing importance of Haut-Lomami to regional trade flows, traceability and aggregation. SMM has not independently verified the underlying 2026 CTCPM statistical publication.

[SMM Flash] Kenya is intensifying efforts to move from raw-mineral exports towards domestic processing and value addition, with the United States pledging support for development of the country's critical-minerals processing industry. President William Ruto has recently called for greater domestic beneficiation of resources including coltan, while US officials said Washington wants to support a transparent mining sector with greater local processing and community benefits. The immediate US focus includes Kenya's Mrima Hill deposit, which is primarily associated with rare earths and niobium rather than tantalum. However, the wider beneficiation policy is relevant to Kenya's emerging coltan sector because implementation could alter how locally produced tantalum-bearing material enters regional and international supply chains. No blanket legally effective coltan export ban or specific new tantalum-processing facility was confirmed in the latest US-Kenya announcement, so the development should currently be treated as policy direction rather than established new tantalum capacity.

[SMM Flash] U.S. Critical Minerals has entered binding agreements to merge with Nova Resources and acquire the historic McAllister tantalum mine, mineral rights and associated processing mill in Alabama, seeking to establish a domestic US tantalum supply source. The McAllister operation produced approximately 250 tonnes of tantalum concentrate between 1989 and 1992, about half of which was sold to the US National Defense Stockpile. Nova controls more than 5,000 acres across the Coosa County district, where exploration has outlined a lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatite system extending over more than 230 km² and initial drilling has confirmed tantalum and lithium mineralisation. Following completion of the transactions, U.S. Critical Minerals plans geophysical surveys, drilling and assessment of the existing mill. Any restart remains conditional on exploration results, technical studies, permitting, financing and market conditions, meaning no future production volume has yet been confirmed.