China's December 2023 high-purity manganese sulphate production was about 21,600 mt, down 17.24% MoM. Ternary cathode material order execution was low, causing cautious precursor scheduled production. Year-end saw most ternary precursor producers focusing on de-stocking rather than increasing output. Demand for high-purity manganese sulphate kept falling. Most companies matched production to sales, with only a few companies planning to stockpile in advance and then concentrate on halting production in the following month, leading to reduced overall output.

January's ternary cathode precursor scheduled production and high-purity manganese sulphate demand are set to fall further, per SMM. With several high-purity manganese sulphate enterprises entering maintenance and focusing on inventory reduction, a major cut in production is expected, with an estimated January output around 11,400 mt, down 47.22% MoM.