Copper, cobalt, zinc and germanium prices increased in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s latest export price bulletin, while nickel, tin, tantalum and several lithium products recorded declines, according to the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
The ministry’s reference prices for October 19–24 showed copper rising to $14,705.35 per metric ton from $14,425.60 in the previous bulletin, an increase of 1.94%. Cobalt climbed 0.23% to $38,596 per ton, while zinc rose 0.25% to $3,810.70 per ton.
Germanium recorded a stronger increase, with its reference price rising to $13,662.43 per kilogram from $13,150.38, up approximately 3.89%. Tungsten concentrate increased 1.36% to $67,457.50 per ton, while tantalum concentrate edged up 0.15% to $28,411.67 per ton.
Several other minerals moved lower. Nickel fell 2.08% to $13,649.39 per ton from $13,940.01. Tin declined to $52,883.75 per ton from $54,345, while tin concentrate, also listed as cassiterite, dropped to $14,543.93 per ton from $14,944.88.
Lithium products also registered declines. Lithium carbonate fell to $18,590 per ton from $19,350, a decrease of 3.93%. Lithium sulfate declined 5.78% to $5,464.20 per ton, lithium concentrate fell 7.22% to $1,925.20 per ton, and lithium hydroxide dropped 4.29% to $17,190 per ton.
The reference price for tantalum decreased to $751 per kilogram from $781, despite the increase in tantalum concentrate. Gold edged down to $135.16 per gram from $135.23, while silver fell to $1.97 per gram from $2.
The ministry’s weekly bulletin covers selected mineral, agricultural, forestry and other export products. Its reference prices provide a basis for tracking price movements but do not necessarily reflect the prices of individual commercial transactions or changes in the DRC’s total export earnings.
