New Delhi: India's mineral production of the mining and quarrying sector has shown a cumulative growth of 16 percent for the period April – December 2021-22 over the corresponding period of the previous year, as per the provisional statistics of the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM). The growth rate for the month of December 2021 (Base: 2011-12=100) at 120.3, was 2.6 percent higher as compared to the level in the month of December 2020.

The production level of important minerals in December 2021 were: coal 748 lakh tonnes, lignite 39 lakh tonnes, natural gas (utilized) 2,814 million cum, Petroleum (crude) 25 lakh tonnes, Bauxite 2,492 thousand tonnes, chromite 384 thousand tonnes, copper conc. 10 thousand tonnes, gold 106 kg, Iron ore 209 lakh tonnes, lead conc. 28 thousand tonnes, manganese ore 273 thousand tonnes, zinc conc. 126 thousand tonnes, limestone 309 lakh tonnes, phosphorite 110 thousand tonnes, magnesite 11 thousand tonnes and diamond 70 carat.

The production of important minerals showing positive growth during December 2021 over December 2020 include: Magnesite (73.2 percent), Gold (71.0 percent), Bauxite (27.1 percent), Lignite (21.4 percent), Natural gas (utilized) (19.5 percent), Coal (5.3 percent) and Chromite (5.3 percent). The production of other important minerals showing negative growth is: Petroleum (Crude) (-1.8 percent), zinc conc. (-4.3 percent), Iron ore (-6.2 percent), Manganese ore (-7.3 percent), Limestone (-7.5 percent), Copper conc (-10.3 percent), Lead conc (-17.4 percent), Phosphorite (-20.4 percent) and Diamond (-97.6 percent).

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