TABLE-Russia 5-mo 2009 aluminium, nickel exports fall

MOSCOW, July 6 (Reuters) - Russian aluminium and nickel exports fell in January-May this year from year-ago levels due to weak demand caused by the global financial crisis, while copper exports rose, customs data showed on Monday. The government lifted from February a 5 percent export tariff on copper cathodes and nickel in an attempt to help the major producer Norilsk Nickel and other producers of the two metals hit by the crisis. Aluminium exports outside the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) totalled 1,418,200 tonnes in January-May, down 10.6 percent year-on-year, the data showed. The data, which does not include all exports via neighbouring Belarus, showed the value of the exported metal fell 36 percent to $2.12 billion. Nickel exports to non-CIS countries fell 12.6 percent to 91,100 tonnes in the first five months, while their value fell 64.5 percent. Refined copper export volumes to non-CIS countries more than doubled to 175,300 tonnes but their value fell by 1.3 percent. The Federal Customs Service gave the following data for Russian aluminium, nickel and copper exports in January-May: 2009 2008 Tonnes $ mln Tonnes $ mln Aluminium Total 1,428,100 2,134.0 1,599,500 3,340.0 Non-CIS** 1,418,200 2,119.7 1,586,600 3,310.3 CIS 9,900 14.3 12,900 29.7 Nickel Total 91,200 981.9 104,400 2,772.6 Non-CIS 91,000 979.8 104,100 2,761.8 CIS 200 2.0 300 10.8 Copper Total 175,800 619.1 82,600 618.7 Non-CIS 175,300 617.6 81,300 609.7 CIS 400 1.6 1,300 9.0 * FCS data does not include all trade with Belarus ** CIS - Commonwealth of Independent States includes 11 republics of the former Soviet Union.