China’s bauxite imports plunged 64.24% from a year ago and 19.36% on a monthly basis to 2.5 million tonnes in August, but such dramatic decline will have no impact on domestic alumina production, Shanghai Metals Market understands.

Most alumina refineries in China hold bauxite sufficient for over 8 months’ production, SMM learns.

The Indonesian export ban was the main reason behind the year-on-year slump in bauxite imports.

The month-on-month drop in import volumes was because Indian bauxite imports dived from 910,000 tonnes in July to just 350,000 tonnes in August. Dissatisfaction with the quality of Indian bauxite and the Indian cabinet’s approval of an increase in bauxite royalties caused inbound shipments of Indian bauxite to plummet.