United States imports of crude and dried bauxite grow over 5% to 734,000 tonnes in 2Q2021; Exports from Jamaica inch down 1%

According to the latest data revealed by the US Census Bureau, the United States imported 734,000 tonnes of crude and dried bauxite in the second quarter of 2021. That reflected an increase of 5.61 per cent quarter-on-quarter from 695,000 tonnes and a surge of 103.32 per cent year-on-year from 361,000 tonnes.

The total imports in the first half of 2021 (January-June) amounted to 1.43 million tonnes, up by 99.16 per cent year-on-year from 718,000 tonnes.

Jamaica continued to be the main exporter of crude and dried bauxite to the United States, supplying 633,000 tonnes in Q2 2021. That, however, registered a decrease of 6,000 tonnes or 1 per cent from 639,000 tonnes in Q1 2021 and a plunge of 13 per cent from 728,000 tonnes in Q4 2020.

On a year-on-year basis, the United States’ bauxite imports from Jamaica edged 792 per cent higher than 71,000 tonnes. In the first half of the year, Jamaica's bauxite exports to the US stood at 1.27 million tonnes.

Turkey stood as the second largest bauxite exporter to the US in Q2 2021 by providing with 75,500 tonnes compared to 56,500 tonnes in Q1 2021. That was an increase of 33.63 per cent over the quarter.

From other countries, the United States imported 25,000 tonnes of crude of dried bauxite in Q2 2021.

In the entire year of 2020, the United States imported 3.180 million tonnes of bauxite, which reflected a decrease of 14.29 per cent from 3.710 million tonnes in 2019.