MINEX Forum

Tag: mineral exports

  • Kazakhstan to Open National Laboratory for Rare Earth and Precious Metal Export Control

    Kazakhstan to Open National Laboratory for Rare Earth and Precious Metal Export Control

    Kazakhstan will establish a new laboratory to strengthen oversight of exported raw materials and detect the presence of rare earth elements (REEs) and precious metals, Vice Minister of Industry and Construction Iran Sharkan announced at a briefing, according to Interfax-Kazakhstan.

    The facility will be created under the National Geological Service and accredited to international standards. Its role will be to analyze the composition of ores and concentrates leaving the country, preventing the uncontrolled export of materials that may contain valuable or scarce metals.

    Sharkan emphasized that unauthorized export of rare earths remains a pressing issue for Kazakhstan, and the government is actively working to address it. The new laboratory will ensure that shipments are properly assessed before crossing borders, closing gaps in current oversight.

    The initiative follows calls made in September by the Ak Zhol party, which proposed that all export shipments of ores and concentrates undergo chemical testing in independent accredited laboratories, alongside the creation of state-run labs. The party argued that existing procedures—where analyses are commissioned directly by subsoil users—leave results unchecked and unverifiable by government authorities.

    By establishing its own laboratory infrastructure, Kazakhstan aims to tighten control, safeguard strategic resources, and ensure transparency in the country’s mineral exports.

  • Ukraine’s Titanium Ore Exports Plunge 93% in First Seven Months of 2025

    Ukraine’s Titanium Ore Exports Plunge 93% in First Seven Months of 2025

    Ukraine’s exports of titanium-containing ores and concentrates collapsed by 93.6% year-on-year in January–July 2025, falling to just 277 tonnes, according to data from the State Customs Service (SCS). In monetary terms, exports dropped 93.1% to $496,000.

    Uzbekistan, Turkey, and Egypt were the main destinations, accounting for 35.61%, 35.01%, and 29.38% of export revenues respectively. On the import side, Ukraine purchased 24 tonnes of titanium ores worth $39,000 from China (94.87%) and Uzbekistan (5.13%) during the period.

    Exports of other critical ores — niobium, tantalum, vanadium, and zirconium — reached 2,466 tonnes worth $3.95 million, with Spain (48.90%), Germany (24.53%), and Italy (17.19%) as the top buyers. Imports of these ores totalled 294 tonnes worth $774,000, mainly from Spain, China, and the Czech Republic.

    Ukraine’s titanium ore exports had already fallen sharply in 2024, down 37.5% in volume to 7,284 tonnes and 40% in value to $11.65 million. The main buyers last year were Turkey, Egypt, and Poland.

    The SCS noted that discrepancies in official statistics are due to confidentiality rules covering military and dual-use goods, with certain titanium shipments aggregated under “Other goods.” Deliveries from mining companies may therefore differ from published customs data.

    Ukraine’s titanium ores are mined primarily by PJSC United Mining and Chemical Company (operating the Vilnohirsk and Irshansk plants), LLC Mezhyrichensky GZK, LLC Valky-Ilmenit, and Velta, which operates the Birzulivskoye mine with a 240,000-ton annual capacity for ilmenite concentrate.