Mineral sands explorer Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU) revealed on Tuesday that total production for its June quarter only reached 418.2 kilotonnes, slumping by 9.6 percent from the 462.5 kilotonnes posted on the corresponding period last year.

The company, however, reported that the March quarter figures showed a 13 percent jump in production which it attributed to the initial contributions delivered by Iluka's new twin operation in the Murray Basin and the Eucla Basin with some ramped up productions coming from the Virginia operation.

Iluka said that its zircon production for the June quarter saw an increase by 55.1 percent from the previous corresponding period while rutile output spiked by 87.8 percent, also coming from the same period.

It added though that total upgradeable ilmenite production slid by 69.2 percent while synthetic rutile output, which is being utilised in manufacturing paints and ceramics, fell by 12.8 percent.

Iluka said that the decline of its rutile production was caused by the closure of the company's Western Australia mining operations in 2009 and further exacerbated by the lower proportion of ilmenite mined from the Murray Basin operations suitable for sale.