ASTANA. July 19. KAZINFORM Kazakhstan, the world's biggest uranium producer, increased second-quarter output of the radioactive metal by 9 percent from the previous three months to 5,040 metric tons, state-owned  said.

Kazatomprom's share of production totaled 2,896 tons, also a gain of 9 percent from the first quarter, the Astana-based company said today in an e-mailed statement.

ULBA Metallurgical Plant, a uranium pellet-producing unit of Kazatomprom, reported a 23 percent slump in beryllium output in the period, while more than doubling tantalum volumes, the statement shows, Kazinform has learnt from Bloomberg.