China ore imports from India continue decline in Oct

India accounted for 6.4 per cent of China8217;s total ore imports in October,down from 9 per cent in September and almost 20 per cent in May,before the monsoon season disrupted shipments.

Ore sourced from Brazil rose 3.3 per cent in October to 11.78 million tonnes,while Australian imports fell 20 per cent from September to 20.72 million tonnes.

Total imports in October stood at 45.715 million tonnes,down 13.1 per cent compared with the previous month.

The big three suppliers accounted for 77 per cent of total deliveries,down from 80 per cent in September,with some of the slack taken up by Iran,Ukraine and Russia.

India banned exports from the key iron ore producing state of Karnataka in July as part of a campaign against illegal mining,and the ban was upheld by court last Friday.

With Indian demand for iron ore set to surge as steel capacity increases,Chinese importers and end-users are expecting imports from India to decline steadily in coming years.