The niobium concentrate falls by 3.22 % on the international market (Ministry in charge of Foreign Trade)

Kinshasa, October 19^th, 2026 (CPA). –The niobium concentrate, an export product of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has fallen by 3.22% on international markets, trading at USD 6,120.67 per tonne in the week of October 19th, compared with USD 6,324.67 the previous week, according to price indices from the Ministry in charge of Foreign Trade consulted on Monday by CPA. “The price of niobium concentrate fell on international markets during the week of October 19th-24th, 2026. The price per tonne is trading at 6,120.67 US dollars, compared with 6,324.67 US dollars the previous week, representing a decline of 3.22%,”, it is read. Compared with the previous week, from October 12th to 1th7, 2026, the price of this product had risen, trading at US$6,324.67 compared with US$6,110.40, representing an increase of 3.50% per tonne.  According to this document, the rise, fall and stability in the prices of marketable mining products, agricultural produce and minor forestry products are driven by supply and demand on the international market as well as by the supply chain. These fluctuations have a direct impact on the Congolese economy, which is heavily dependent on raw material exports, particularly in the mining sector. It should be noted that niobium is used primarily in steel production. It enables the production of lighter and stronger steel alloys. Furthermore, global niobium mining production is dominated by Brazil and Canada, which exploit pyrophoric and Coltan deposits. Niobium is the 41st element in the periodic table. Although this name is recognised internationally, niobium is still sometimes referred to as columbium in the United States; it is a soft, fairly dense, refractory metal.