Resumen de Soda ash: rising from the economic cinders
China continued to dominate the world's soda ash supply in 2012, producing 23m tonnes in 2011, according to the latest data from the USGS. The country was followed by the US, which produced 14.5m tonnes in 2011, with a total value of approximately $1.3bn. "China continues to be the largest and fastest-growing market for soda ash. Due to its size and the persistent over-capacity in the Chinese industry, it also has a strong impact on important markets for soda ash trade - Asia, and to a lesser extent, Latin America," the Wyoming, US-based producer FMC Corp. told IM.
"Domestic pricing of soda ash is about $130-$140/s.ton in the US for this year. With exports now exceeding domestic consumption, soda ash producers are experiencing better prices than before. I do not believe the price will go down, pending another recession that might result from the'Fiscal Cliff' the US may have next month," he said.
IM's list prices for soda ash can be seen in the table below:"Tata Chemicals' business is predominantly based in low-cost, natural production, so we're not as exposed as synthetic producers elsewhere in the world. Our soda ash business is still doing pretty well," the company told IM.
