India's key mineral production sees steady growth in FY 2024-25

New Delhi: India's mineral sector has continued its strong growth trajectory in FY 2024-25 (April-December), following record production levels in FY 2023-24. Iron ore remains the dominant mineral, accounting for 69 percent of the total MCDR mineral production by value. In FY 2023-24, iron ore production reached 274 million metric tonnes (MMT).

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According to provisional data, iron ore production has grown from 203 MMT in FY 2023-24 (April-December) to 208 MMT in FY 2024-25 (April-December), reflecting a 2.5 percent increase. Manganese ore production rose by 8.3 percent to 2.6 MMT from 2.4 MMT during the same period last year. Chromite production also witnessed a significant rise of 9.5 percent, reaching 2.3 MMT from 2.1 MMT. Additionally, bauxite production saw a 6.5 percent increase, reaching 18.1 MMT from 17.0 MMT in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

In the non-ferrous metal sector, primary aluminium production in FY 2024-25 (April-December) recorded a growth of 1.6 percent, increasing to 31.56 lakh tonnes (LT) from 31.07 LT in FY 2023-24. Meanwhile, refined copper production rose by 7.3 percent, reaching 3.96 LT from 3.69 LT in the same period last year.

India ranks as the second-largest aluminium producer globally, among the top ten producers of refined copper, and the fourth-largest iron ore producer. The sustained growth in iron ore production underscores the robust demand from the steel industry. Additionally, the rise in aluminium and copper production indicates continued strong economic activity in key sectors such as energy, infrastructure, construction, automotive, and machinery.

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