KINSHASA, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The Democratic Republic of

Congo, the world's top producer of cobalt, said on Monday it has

temporarily halted the metal's exports amid a production glut.

The ban will be in place for at least four months, the

Authority for the Regulation and Control of Strategic Mineral

Substances' Markets, or ARECOMS, said in a statement.

"This measure is intended to regulate supply on the

international market, which is faced with a production glut,"

ARECOMS President Patrick Luabeya said in the statement.

To enforce and ensure that mining companies comply with the

ban, ARECOMS issued a decree, seen by Reuters. The decree was

signed by ARECOMS' Luabeya and co-signed by Mines Minister

Kizito Pakabomba.

The export ban of cobalt - a key component in batteries for

electric vehicles and mobile phones - is effective from February

22 and could either be adjusted or terminated after three

months, he said.

The most active March electrolytic cobalt futures contract

on China's Wuxi Stainless Steel Exchange hit its upper limit in

the night trading session on Monday and posted another gain of

2.81% as of 0239 GMT on Tuesday.

This follows a sharp drop in cobalt prices due to a massive

surge in supply and slowing demand.

News of the temporary metal exports ban was earlier reported

by Bloomberg News.

China's CMOC Group, the world's biggest cobalt

miner, last year more than doubled its output of the metal to

about 114,000 metric tons from about 56,000 tons, as it boosts

copper production at its two mines in Congo.

Shares at CMOC, which did not immediately respond to emailed

questions, slipped 1.3% as of 0219 GMT.

Eurasian Resources Group, another big Congo cobalt producer,

also did not immediately respond to emailed questions while

Glencore ( GLCNF ) declined to comment.

The agency said the ban is for all cobalt produced in the

country, including by small scale or artisanal miners.

As well as mining cobalt, Congo is also the world's

second-biggest copper producer.