Sept iron ore imports at 108.55 mln T vs 100.36 mln T in Aug...

• Sept iron ore imports at 108.55 mln T vs 100.36 mln T in Aug
• Jan-Sept iron ore imports up 10.8% y/y

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BEIJING, Oct 13 (Reuters) - China's iron ore imports in September rose 8.2% from the prior month to 108.55 million tonnes, as supply from major miners picked up, official data from China's customs authority showed on Tuesday.

In the first three quarters of 2020, China imported 868 million tonnes iron ore, increasing 10.8% from the same period in 2019, according to data from the General Administration of Customs.

Arrivals of iron ore from China's top two suppliers, Australia and Brazil, inched 0.7% higher to 84.8 million tonnes in September with contribution mainly by the former, vessel-tracking data compiled by Refinitiv showed.

However, analysts expect Brazil's supply will continue to recover and its 2021 production will show an annual growth of 12%, Fitch Solutions wrote in a note in early October.

STEEL TRADE China's September imports of steel products rose 28.8% to 2.88 million tonnes while exports rose 4.1% to 3.83 million tonnes from a month earlier.

Exports in the first nine months fell to 40.38 million tonnes from 50.26 million tonnes a year ago.

The China Iron & Steel Association expected China's steel exports at around 55 million tonnes in 2020.

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