India's mineral production has seen impressive growth in the year 2024-25, after a record-breaking level of production in FY 2023-24, as per a statement made by the Ministry of Mines on Sunday. All the major minerals like iron ore, manganese ore, bauxite, and lead have all observed substantial growth in production.
Iron ore, accounting for 70% of the value of total mineral production, increased to 263 million metric tonnes (MMT) from April to February of FY 2024-25, up by 4.4% from 252 MMT during the same period in FY 2023-24. The overall iron ore production during the entire financial year 2023-24 was 274 MMT.
Manganese ore production increased even more steeply, rising by 12.8% to 3.4 MMT in FY 2024-25 (April–February) from 3.0 MMT in the earlier year. Bauxite production also increased, posting a 3.6% hike to 22.7 MMT in the first 11 months of FY 2024-25 from 21.9 MMT during the first 11 months of FY 2023-24.
Production of lead concentrate also saw an upward movement in the same direction, to 3,52,000 tonnes in FY 2024-25, from 3,40,000 tonnes in FY 2023-24, a 3.5% rise.
In the non-ferrous metal sector, production of primary aluminium increased by 0.9% during the 11-month duration of FY 2024-25 to 38.36 lakh tonnes (LT) from 38.00 LT during FY 2023-24. On the other hand, production of refined copper increased by 7.1%, increasing from 4.64 LT during FY 2023-24 to 4.97 LT during the same period of FY 2024-25.
India is well-placed in the world mineral market with the status of world's second-largest producer of aluminium, one of the world's top 10 refined copper producers, and the fourth-largest iron ore producer. The consistent growth of iron ore production mirrors consistent demand in the steel industry, which is one of the major consumers of these minerals.
Also, the increase in production of aluminium and copper indicates sustained economic activity in key industries like energy, infrastructure, construction, automotive, and machinery, the Ministry of Mines said in its release.
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