Product sales. Product sales increased by $39.8 million, or 76%, to $92.1 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, from $52.4 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The increase was driven primarily by higher REO sales volume, which increased to 28,047 MTs in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 from 18,260 MTs in the nine months ended September 30, 2019, reflecting the improved efficiency of our processing operations, while our average realized price per REO MT increased approximately 2% between periods, primarily reflecting the lower tariffs. Tariff credits from Shenghe Resources (Singapore) contributed $10.3 million in product sales in the nine months ended September 30, 2020. However, product sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 were negatively impacted by the accounting treatment of the Shenghe implied discount in connection with the Original Offtake Agreement, pursuant to which approximately $3.7 million of the value of products sold to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) from January 1, 2020 until June 5, 2020 was not recognized as product sales but was applied as a reduction of the adjusted offtake product delivery amount to Shenghe Resources (Singapore). See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.” Starting June 5, 2020, the accounting impact of the Shenghe implied discount was eliminated under the A&R Offtake Agreement and, going forward, we will recognize product sales on the full value of our sales to Shenghe Resources (Singapore).
Cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization). Cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) decreased by $0.1 million to $45.0 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, from $45.1 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The decrease was driven by lower per unit production costs and offset by higher sales volume and higher shipping costs, reflecting more shipments to less accessible overseas ports. Cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) improved significantly on a per unit basis. The significant decrease in production cost per REO MT, from $2,157 in the nine months ended September 30, 2019 to $1,371 in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 reflected the increased efficiency in processing our rare earth concentrate, driven by higher mineral recoveries in our froth flotation circuit and improved operational uptime. See “—Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for a reconciliation of our total production cost to our cost of sales (excluding depletion, depreciation and amortization). We believe our cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) on a per unit basis has stabilized in the short-term, although we anticipate additional efficiency opportunities as we increase REO production volumes in our milling and flotation circuit over time.
Royalty expense paid to related party. Royalty expense paid to related party increased by $0.8 million, or 76%, to $1.9 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, from $1.1 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019, reflecting our increased product sales (the royalty rate is 2.5% of our gross revenue from products derived from mined ore).
General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses increased by $4.4 million, or 43%, to $14.6 million in the nine-months ended September 30, 2020, from $10.2 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019, reflecting a $3.4 million increase in professional service fees, mainly accounting advisory services related to the Business Combination.
Depreciation, depletion and amortization. Depreciation, depletion and amortization increased by $1.1 million, or 29%, to $4.8 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, from $3.7 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019, reflecting the impact of additional equipment purchases.
Accretion of asset retirement obligations (ARO) and environmental remediation obligations. Accretion of ARO and environmental remediation obligations remained relatively flat between periods.
One-time settlement charge. We recorded a one-time non-cash settlement charge of $66.6 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 in connection with the termination of the DMA. See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.”
Other income, net. Other income, net, was $0.3 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, reflecting interest income on restricted cash and an environmental incentive credit, compared to other income,
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