The Big PicturePrice of metals are based on scarcity. Germanium is really not all that scare. The market is relatively small which means any major increase in production is followed by a reduction in price. Germanium is very expensive to get to the purity levels needed for use so the price to price per ton in the ground bears a much smaller relationship than some other metals as you are not getting that price for it in the ground but rather 99 plus purity.
At anyrate, it is very high grade but the article over simplifies its importance!