Mineral sands miner Base Resources has reported lower production in the March quarter as the ore grades from the Kwale operation dropped, as expected.
Last week, Base reported that ilmenite production from Kwale, in Kenya, had declined from the 108 465 t produced in the December quarter to 87 179 t, while rutile production declined from 24 505 t to 20 171 t, and zircon production from 8 252 t to 6 943 t.
Ilmenite sales tonnage during the March quarter also declined, from 106 788 t to 81 339 t, while rutile sales were down from 24 008 t to 14 593 t, and zircon sales from 8 063 t to 7 260 t.
For the full 2019 financial year, Base expects to produce between 88 000 t and 94 000 t of rutile, between 385 000 t and 415 000 t of ilmenite and between 31 000 t and 34 000 t of zircon.
However, for the full 2020 financial year, rutile production is expected to reach between 64 000 t and 70 000 t, while ilmenite production would be between 315 000 t and 350 000 t, and zircon production between 25 000 t and 28 000 t, as operations at the Kwale mineral sands project moved from the Central Dune orebody to the South Dune orebody.