BEIJING, May 17 (Reuters) - China's coal production in April fell to its lowest level since Oct 2022, statistics bureau data and Reuters records showed on Friday, as weak pricing and continued close monitoring of mine safety conditions curbed output.
Output was 371.67 million metric tons last month, down 2.9% from a year earlier, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. That was also down 7% from March.
Domestic coal prices were likely their lowest for 2024 in April, according to the China Coal Transportation and Distribution Association (CCTD), leaving miners with little enthusiasm to ramp up production.
Lower output from China's coking coal hub of Shanxi also weighed on output after the local government ordered a series of safety checks during March-May following an uptick in deadly accidents. The province mined 29% of China's coal last year.
Coal industry profits dropped to 152.69 billion yuan ($21.15 billion) in the first quarter, down 33.5% year-on-year, analysts from the CCTD told a market seminar on Wednesday.
For the first four months of the year, production stood at 1.48 billion tons, down 3.5% compared with the same period last year. (Reporting by Colleen Howe; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Neil Fullick)
