India's iron ore production rises 4% to 52 MMT in Apr-May

New Delhi: The country's iron ore production increased by four percent to 52 million metric tonnes (MMT) in the April-May period of the ongoing fiscal.

The country's iron ore output was at 50 MMT in the corresponding period of previous fiscal, according to provisional figures.

The production of limestone increased to 79 MMT in the April-May period from 77 MMT in the year-ago period, the mines ministry said in a statement.

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"The production of manganese ore has jumped by 16.7 percent over corresponding period previous year with a production of 0.7 MMT in FY 2024-25 (April-May)," the statement said.

Iron ore and limestone together account for about 80 percent of the total mineral production by value.

The production of iron ore was at 275 MMT and limestone was at 450 MMT in 2023-24.

In the non-ferrous metal sector, primary aluminium production grew by 1.2 percent to 6.98 lakh tonnes (LT) in the latest April-May period from 6.90 LT a year ago.

India is the second largest aluminium producer, third largest lime producer and fourth largest iron ore producer in the world.

Continued growth in production of iron ore and limestone in the current financial year reflects the robust demand conditions in the user industries viz. steel and cement. Coupled with growth in aluminium, these growth trends point towards continued strong economic activity in user sectors such as energy, infrastructure, construction, automotive and machinery, the statement said.

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