October 25, 2012
Vietnam's Vinapaco operates apatite factory in Northern Province
On October 23 after a week of trials, Apatite Vietnam Limited Co (Vinapaco) under Vietnam Chemical Group (Vinachem) operated an Apatite factory in the northern province of Lao Cai.
Kicked off in August 2007 on an area of 40 hectares in Dong Tuyen commune, the Bac Nhac Son Apatite factory will refine phosphate rock to produce Apatite to meet the fertiliser and chemical demands. Earlier, Vinapaco also put in use two other apatite sorting facilities in Lao Cai.
Apatite is a group of minerals, high in phosphorous, which is mainly used in making fertilisers. It is sometimes made into gemstones.
Earlier this April, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai allowed Vinapaco to continue exporting apatite till the end of 2012. The firm is allowed to ship abroad a maximum of 500,000 tonnes of apatite per year.
Currently, export tax on apatite ores is 10-20%. The Ministry of Finance is planning to raise the rate to 15-30% to curb rising shipments abroad.
