India Coal Import Increase China South Africa and Japan Down Asia Purchases Coal

Coal commodity market - India purchases in the first nine months of this year from South Africa rose 16 percent to 15.2 million tons from a year-earlier period, mjunction said. Chinese imports climbed to 4.8 million tons through September as lower freight rates boosted shipments, compared with 1.52 million tons it imported for the entire 2009.

South African coal exports to China plunged in September while shipments to India increased from a month earlier. The Baltic Dry Index, the main measure of shipping costs for commodities, has declined 14 percent this year, reducing costs to send coal and iron ore to China and India from Africa.

Asia?s coal purchases from South Africa fell 26 percent to 3.32 million tons in September from August because of a decline in Chinese and Japanese purchases while European imports rose 60 percent to more than 1 million tons led by France and Italy. Purchases by Asia until September was about 32 million tons and Europe?s imports were 6.8 million.