Platinum, Phalaborwa Rare Earths and Zambian Cassava Trends

Medical applications are driving an uptick in platinum demand, with hospitals and device makers increasingly using platinum-bearing components in implants, diagnostics and certain chemotherapy agents. Market observers say this sectoral demand is helping to tighten supply dynamics and support near-term price resilience.

Rainbow Rare Earths has reported progress at its Phalaborwa project in Limpopo, moving from exploration toward development phases. The company is advancing resource definition and processing work aimed at producing rare-earth oxides used in permanent magnets and other high-tech applications, potentially improving local value capture in South Africa’s critical-minerals supply chain.

In Zambia’s Copperbelt, cassava production is expanding, driven by both food-security needs and growing interest in industrial uses. Increased harvests are attracting attention from processors seeking starch, animal feed and bio-based feedstocks for local manufacturing and energy applications.

Taken together, these developments highlight a convergence of mineral and agricultural supply-side shifts that could influence regional industrial policy, downstream processing opportunities and supply chains for medical and high-technology sectors.