BEIJING : China's daily coal output in April jumped 11 per cent from the same month a year earlier, boosted by Beijing's order to increase supply to ensure security of the country's energy supply, but the volume dropped from a record high set in March.China, the world's top coal producer, mined 362.8 million tonnes of the fuel last month, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday, equivalent to 12.09 million tonnes per day.
Production over the January-April period was 1.45 billion tonnes, also 11 per cent higher than in the same period a year earlier, the bureau's data showed. The government has also urged regions that largely rely on imported coal to sign more contracts of at least a year's duration with domestic coal producers, to secure supply.
Beijing has also set price caps for thermal coal under spot trade and term contracts to ease inflation pressures and balance profits between coal miners and utilities.