China’s coal sector has been hit by rising stockpiles, falling prices and declining profitability since the beginning of this year, an industry association said. Coal production dropped 1.31% year on year and sales dropped 1.29%, (Xinhua) reported citing data released by the China Coal Industry Association (CCIA). In the first quarter of 2014, coal output edged down by 1% to 878 million tons, while sales declined 1.4% to 844 million tonnes, the data showed. Coal stockpiles at the end of last month totaled more than 300 million tonnes for the 29th consecutive month, according to the association.