* FY diluted headline EPS 52.99 rand vs 44.54 rand
* FY production down 5 pct to 41.3 mln T
* Says 2012 export sales to rise by 3 mln T
(Adds details, quotes)
JOHANNESBURG, Feb 9 (Reuters) – Kumba Iron Ore
, a unit of global miner Anglo American,
reported a rise in full-year profit on Thursday, boosted by
higher iron ore prices and said it expects export volumes to
rise in the current financial year.
Kumba, Africa’s largest producer of the steelmaking
ingredient, said full-year diluted headline earnings per share
totalled 52.99 rand, compared with 44.54 rand a year earlier.
Headline EPS, the main profit measure in South Africa,
excludes some one-time items.
Africa is regarded by many in the industry as the next iron
ore frontier with many global miners moving to cash in on the
projected rise in demand for steel from Asia.
Kumba, the world’s 10th largest producer of iron ore, said
production dropped 5 percent to 41.3 million tonnes on the back
of feedstock constraints at the company’s Sishen mine.
Export sales rose 3 percent to 37.1 million tonnes and would
rise by around 3 million tonnes in the current financial year as
the company’s Kolomela mine ramps up output.
Continued…
