LONMIN, South Africa’s third biggest platinum producer, on Wednesday reported a 121% surge in half-year pre-tax earnings and forecast a major expansion in platinum production. Lonmim reported pre-tax profits of $135-million for the six months ended March 31 and proposed a 16% increase in the interim dividend to 14 cents per share. The sterling equivalents were 84-million and 9,3 pence per share. It also said it aims to boost annual platinum output to over 800000 ounces from 2007 from about 610000 ounces now. The company also said it is treating its stake in Ghanaian miner Ashanti Goldfields as an investment rather than an associate and that it is retaining the stake, which it considered fundamentally undervalued.