BEIJING — Output of raw coal in China fell 0.5 percent year-on-year to 830 million metric tons in the first quarter of 2020, official data showed.

The country produced 340 million tons of raw coal in March, up 9.6 percent year-on-year, picking up from the drop in the first two months, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

The country imported 95.78 million tons of coal in the first quarter, up 28.4 percent year-on-year. In March, coal imports rose 18.5 percent to hit 27.83 million tons.

Coal prices dipped, with the transaction price of Qinhuangdao 5,500 kcal/kg thermal coal standing at 540 yuan (about $76.4) per ton on April 3, down 16 yuan from the end of February, the data showed.