Guinea's CBG, the world's top bauxite exporter company, said on Saturday orders for 2010 have already exceeded last year's output by more than 10 percent in a sign of improved global demand for the aluminium ore, according to Reuters. The company, a joint venture between Alcoa and Rio Tinto , has taken orders for 12.8 million tonnes of bauxite, up from estimated output of 11.3 million tonnes in 2009, an official said on condition of anonymity. "With the rebound in global demand, we're now up to 12.8 million tonnes booked," the source said. He said he expected orders to climb further to between 13.2 and 13.4 million tonnes for the year. CBG accounts for 80 percent of the Guinea's bauxite exports. CBG output hit 13.7 million tonnes in 2008, but dropped sharply in 2009 due to the effects of the global financial crisis and local political turmoil after a December 2008 coup. A government document obtained by Reuters in December showed Guinea's output of bauxite during the first nine months of 2009 was down more than a fifth from the same period the previous year in part due to "institutional instability." -- SPA
