CHINA has raised production quotas of several minor metals by 5-12 percent this year.

The 2011 mining quota for tungsten ores was capped at 73,000 tons, up from 65,000 tons, while that for antimony was raised to 105,000 tons from 100,000 tons, according to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology yesterday. The output quota for tungsten ores was increased to 87,000 tons from 80,000 tons, while that for molybdenum ores was hiked to 200,000 tons from 185,000 tons, it said.

China is capping the mining volume of certain minor metals and rare earths to balance the environment and conserve resources as well meet industrial demands.

The output quotas, broken down by province, were jointly set by the ministry, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Land and Resources.

Key enterprises will have priority when provincial authorities assign their allocated quotas to local miners and smelters, the statement said, adding that quotas shouldn't be allocated to companies without mining permission or those using prohibited or outdated production process.