Production Update Following the Chinese New Year Holiday

VANCOUVER, March 17, 2016

VANCOUVER, March 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Silvercorp Metals Inc. ("Silvercorp" or the "Company") (TSX:SVM) is pleased to report that production at the Ying Mining District and the GC mine has gradually resumed to normal levels since the end of February when the long Chinese New Year holiday ended. Subsequently, on March 11, 2016, the power line to the TLP and LM Mines was interrupted as nine power poles were damaged by a blast from a government crew working on widening the access road in the direction of the TLP mine. As a result, production at the TLP and LM Mines stopped, but is expected to resume by March 18, 2016. As a result, it will affect about 4,300 tonnes of ore production from these mines, representing approximately 4% of the total quarterly production projection from the Ying Mining District.

Alex Zhang, P. Geo, VP exploration of the Company, is the Qualified Person on the project as defined under National Instrument 43-101 and he has verified and approved the contents of this news release.

About Silvercorp

Silvercorp is a low-cost silver-producing Canadian mining company with multiple mines in China. The Company's vision is to deliver shareholder value by focusing on the acquisition of under developed projects with resource potential and the ability to grow organically. For more information, please visit our website at www.silvercorp.ca.

CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER - FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain of the statements and information in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities laws. Any statements or information that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategies", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "budgets", "schedules", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the price of silver and other metals; the accuracy of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates at the Company's material properties; the sufficiency of the Company's capital to finance the Company's operations; estimates of the Company's revenues and capital expenditures; estimated production from the Company's mines in the Ying Mining District; timing of receipt of permits and regulatory approvals; availability of funds from production to finance the Company's operations; and access to and availability of funding for future construction, use of proceeds from any financing and development of the Company's properties.