January 1, 2009 is like a "watershed". Fore and after, the sales of Shanxi coal differ 36%. On December 31, 2008, its sales volume is 827,467 tons. However, on January 1, 2009, sales dropped drastically to 525,910 tons(a 36% decrease). Until January 5, the highest sales volume reached 558,286 tons. Comparatively, the sales in December 2008 were controlled at 80-90 million tons. On December 24, Shanxi Coal Industry Bureau issued the the production plan in January 2009. The total production of major coal enterprises is planned about 18.15 million tons, a 30% decrease compared with the same period last year. Industry analysts said that from January 2008 to October, Shanxi coal output has been maintained at 26-27 million tons. If implemented under the plan, the daily output should also descend 30%-40%.So the decline of 2009 has been justified. In addition, that many enterprises have stopped production or started adjusting has become one of the reasons of declining.