Exclusive: China's primary lead output fell to 286,000 mt in December

SHANGHAI, Jan 8 (SMM) — SMM data showed that China produced 286,000 mt of primary lead in December, down 1.3% from November, and up 2.4% from a year ago. In the full 2020, output increased 4.42% from 2019.

According to an SMM survey, primary lead smelters turned into maintenance and resumed production simultaneously in December. Hunan Yuteng resumed production. Some enterprises slightly increased production in December in order to complete the annual production and sales plan before year-end, while Henan Xinling carried out a one-month routine maintenance, Jiangxi Jinde and Yunnan Zhenxing both have minor maintenance. Output in December posted a slight decline, in line with expectations of the previous report.

Taking into account the limited supply of raw materials in winter and the subsequent Spring Festival holiday, some small and medium-sized enterprises plan to start maintenance in the middle and late January, and take a holiday after the maintenance. In addition, Henan Minshan, Shibin, Yunnan Mengzi turned into routine maintenance. Jiangxi Jinde, which carried out maintenance last month, and Yunnan Zhenxing resumed production.

SMM expects China's primary lead output to decrease over 10,000 mt to 274,000 mt in January.