Dec. 31, 2012 (China Knowledge) - China, the world's largest rare-earth producer, has released the first batch of rare earth quota for 2013 at 15,501 metric tons, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Commerce.
The quota was higher than 10,546 metric tons it released in the same period of last year and accounted for 50% of its rare earth export quota in 2012.
The ministry said in a statement that the quota comprised 13,563 metric tons for light rare earths and 1,938 metric tons for medium and heavy rare earths.
According to statistics released by the MOC, the quota is granted to 24 qualified firms, including Baogang Group and the Aluminum Corporation of China.
In the first ten months of this year, China exported 11,312 metric tons of rare earth, down 7.88% YoY and accounted for only 36.5% of its annual export quota.