Dnipropetrovsk region boosted manganese concentrate production 23.2% year-on-year in the first half of 2008 to 384,500 tonnes.

The Ukrainian Ferroalloy Association told Interfax (Friday) that Ukraine as a whole produced 832,500 tonnes of manganese concentrate in the first half of 2008, up from 784,800 tonnes in the same period of last year.

Ordzhonikidze is one of Ukraine's two main manganese producers. Marhanets Mining is the other.

Both mining companies are run by the PrivatBank, as is the Zaporizhiya Ferroalloy Plant, which the Ferroalloy Association said edged ferroalloy production up 1% year-on-year in the half to 249,500 tonnes.

Ferromanganese production grew 69% to 59,500 tonnes and ferrosilicon production grew 8.2% to 35,500 tonnes, while silicon manganese production fell 13.4% to 150,900 tonnes and metallic manganese production fell 25% to 3,600 tonnes.

The plant aims to produce 485,277 tonnes of ferroalloys this year, down 2% from 2007.

Zaporizhiya is Ukraine's biggest producer of medium-and high-carbon ferromanganese and 90%-metal manganese. – Interfax