Apatite concentrate market growth ranged between 2% and 2.5%, UK-based market research firm Merchant Research & Consulting Ltd. says.

Apatite concentrate consumption in Russia is 3m mt/y, and its annual consumption growth rate is within a 2-5% range.

Apatite concentrate in Russia is manufactured just by two enterprises: Apatit JSC (Kirovsk, Murmansk region) and Kovdorsky GOK, which stands for Kovdor Ore-Mining Plant, (Kovdor, Murmansk region). Apatit JSC trades in its products through sales companies, while Kovdorsky GOK works directly with manufacturers.

Apatite is a member of the Apatite group, a group of isomorphous hexagonal minerals. Apatite may be regarded as a single mineral, but is usually divided into three more minerals: Fluorapatite, Chlorapatite, and Hydroxylapatite. Since it is hard to distinguish between these minerals, and since they may partially replace each other, a distinction between them is rarely made, and they are simply called "Apatite". However, most Apatite is Fluorapatite, the most common member by far.

Apatite is the most common phosphate mineral, and is the main source of the phosphorus required by plants.

Apatite is the main source of phosphorus. Phosphorus was previously extracted from crystalline Apatite, but nowadays is extracted from enormous deposits of Apatite-rich rock. Apatite is essential in the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers, and is very important in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Apatite is also a popular collectors mineral, and some transparent specimens are faceted for collectors.

The Apatite Concentrate Market Research also features the following information:

General information on apatite concentrate;

Apatite Concentrate market behaviour;

Forecast for main market parameters by 2010;

Market news;

To name only a few subjects.

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by Marina Kulikova (few years ago!)