Combined production and sales at Eastern Platinum's Crocodile River Mine was up 17 per cent during the first quarter.

Total output and sales of platinum group metals (pgms) hit 29,417 oz during the period up to September 7th - up from 25,111 oz from the previous quarter.

Improvement was also noted in development of the operation, which stood at 2,298m - bettering the second-quarter's performance by 14 per cent.

Meanwhile, the average monthly mining rate improved by 33 per cent to 107,926 tonnes per month (t/m), compared with 81,425 t/m for the preceding period, while operating costs were cut from $637/oz to $702/oz.

Eastern Platinum President and Chief Executive Officer Ian Rozier said: "Substantial progress continues to be made at CRM and we are beginning to see the results of the extensive on-and-off-reef development during the last year, which is integral in developing mineable reserves to support the ongoing production build-up."

Last month, Eastern Platinum announced that it posted a loss of $12.4 million during the final quarter, with higher production costs offsetting strong revenue growth.

Source:

Eastplats lifts output, cuts costs at Crocodile River, 22/10/07
http://www.miningweekly.co.za/article.php?a_id=119583

Eastplats Reports Q1-08 Production Update, 22/10/07
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=783152

Ÿ Adfero Ltd