According to the mining statistics cited, the DRC alone accounts for 43% of production, ahead of Rwanda (22%), China (6%), Brazil (6%), Australia (6%), Ethiopia (5%), Nigeria (4%), Mozambique (3%) and Russia (3%). Between 70 and 80% of world tantalum production is said to come from the country.
A small-scale movement
The increase remains marginal: two dollars more per kilogram in a week. The Foreign Trade price lists explain these changes by the interplay of international supply and demand and by the state of the supply chain, without any single factor being singled out.
For a Congolese economy heavily dependent on exports of raw materials, particularly mining ones, these variations feed directly into export revenue and budget balances. Tantalum, used in electronics and alloys, is among the strategic substances monitored by the Congolese Foreign Trade services.
A diversified but concentrated market
The distribution of resources covers Australia, Brazil, China, Canada and several African countries, including the DRC and Rwanda. Despite this geographical dispersion, the concentration of production in the DRC explains the country’s sensitivity to international price movements and the attention paid to the traceability of supply chains.
ACP – M&B
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