4.7.3.1 Availability and Consumption

The annual production of barite ore in China is very unstable, generally about 3 million tons, which will fluctuate according to the demands. The demands of barite in China are all met by the supplies of home-produced barite.

The annual consumption of barite in China is about 1.20 to 1.30 million tons, of which 0.7 to 0.8 million tons are used in petroleum exploration, accounting for about 60% of the total consumption, 0.4 to 0.5 million tons are used in barium chemicals, accounting for about 30%, and more than 0.1 million tons are used for other purposes, accounting for about 10%.

China is the world's largest barite exporter. In the 1990s, the exports of barite and its products were generally 1.50 to 2.00 million tons per year. In 1997 the exports of barite and barium salts were 3.178 million tons, valued at US  $ 133.595 million. They are mainly exported to the United States, Netherlands, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Very scanty barite is imported by China, only a small amount of barium chemical being imported. China's foreign trade of barite and its products in 1997 is given in Table 4.7.3.

4.7.3.2 Trends

The supply and demand of barite in China are essential in balance and increase slowly. The barite production is basically stable and grows slightly sometimes; it can fully meet the demand on barite. The exports are adjusted according to the demands.

China's barite products have occupied an important position on the world's barite markets. The annual exports are about 2 million tons, accounting for over 60% of the world's trade. But because the production capacities of China's barite mines differ greatly and the production is mostly from town and township enterprises, the production fluctuates greatly and the waste of resources is very striking. Although barite is China's dominant mineral, a shortage of barite resources may appear by the middle part of the 21st century. Therefore, on the one hand, we must adjust the mix of barite products, reduce the exports of raw massive ores, increase the proportion of powdery and intensively processed products and develop the barite industry in a direction of exporting less and earning more foreign currency; on the other hand, from the angle of resource and environmental protection it is necessary to restrict haphazard mining by town and township enterprises and establish large-scale barite production bases so as to promote the sustainable development of barite resource exploitation.