(Yicai Global) Feb. 28 -- A Chinese industry alliance has suggested that the government should buy domestic products made of copper, aluminum, lead, and zinc to avoid discounting resulting from idle inventory and lack of demand during the prolonged Covid-19 epidemic.

China should also delay sulphuric acid imports to ease domestic firms' financial troubles, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association said in a report posted on its website yesterday.

The situation demonstrates the key link between supply and demand. Work at real estate firms, as well as at consumer electronics and home appliance companies, has been slowed down by the Covid-19 outbreak, which has decreased orders and prices.

By Feb. 26, domestic copper and aluminum producers boosted their capacity to 59 percent of the total, up 12 percentage points from a week earlier, according to the association.

Prices for the four major non-ferrous metals of copper, aluminum, lead, and zinc fell as much as 6 percent early this month from late January, and have remained low ever since, according to the alliance. Some lead and zinc firms have already hit the brakes to avoid overcapacity, it added.

Editor: Emmi Laine