Congo gives cobalt miners until end-April to use 2025 export quotas
Democratic Republic of Congo's mining regulator has said that miners must use all unfulfilled fourth-quarter 2025 export quotas by April 30, warning that any unused volumes after that will be forfeited and reallocated to a strategic reserve.
Quotas for the first quarter of 2026 can be shipped until June 30, alongside those for the second quarter, ARECOMS said, confirming total quotas allocated for 2026 remain valid.
ARECOMS chair, Patrick Luabeya said in a statement signed on Monday but issued on Tuesday that the measures, including the withdrawal of quotas for non‑compliance, "enter into force on March 31, 2026".
Congo, which supplies about 70% of the world’s cobalt, imposed export quotas last year after a months-long export ban aimed at curbing global supply, a move that helped lift prices.
Congo's mining chamber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
LOGISTICAL CONSTRAINS DELAY QUOTA SHIPMENTS
Reuters previously reported that while companies resumed shipments after exports resumed, operational and logistical constraints under the new quota system slowed execution of allocated volumes.
Industry reaction was mixed.
A source at top cobalt producer CMOC 603993.SS said the April 30 deadline was sufficient, as the company had already loaded its entire fourth-quarter quota and had yet to start drawing on first-quarter allocations.
A source with CMOC's trading arm IXM, meanwhile, said the extension "seems long enough, but still hard", citing a lack of clarity in the regulator's timeline, while a source at China’s Huayou 603799.SS called the decision "good news".
The sources asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.
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