Australian mining firm Base Resources which mines titanium in Kwale, has reported a sales drop of 5 per cent in the quarter to Junes this year due to low production. The firm reported sales worth Ksh 5.3 billion down from Ksh 5.4 billion in the same period last year.
Sales for the period dropped 22 per cent from 182 thousand tonnes in the second quarter of 2017 to 142 thousand tons in the quarter to June 2018.
Being Kenya’s first large mining operation the mineral producer says it has enhanced its mineral separation plant capacity.
Global production of Rutile and zircon sands has been volatile in the last one year while prices per ton for rutile and zircon jumped 26.5 per cent to 376 dollars from 297 dollars last year.
Production of ilmenite declined from 119,364 tonnes in the April-June 2017 quarter to 114,773 tonnes in the same period this year.
That of zircon increased from 8,375 tonnes in April-June 2017 to 9,286 tonnes in the same period this year, the company said in its quarterly report.
Ilmenite is used in the manufacture of titanium dioxide, which is used in making paints, fabrics, plastics, paper, sunscreen, food and cosmetics. Zircon is used to make ceramics and pottery.
Base Titanium which has exploration licenses in Tanzania and Madagascar says Likoni’s Port facility continued to run smoothly dispatching more than 130 tonnes of ilmenite and rutile during the quarter.
