New Delhi: India’s aluminium production saw a slight increase of 0.9 per cent in the April-February period of FY 2024-25 and reached 38.36 lakh tonnes (LT), according to provisional data from the Ministry of Mines. This is a small rise compared to 38.00 LT produced during the same period last year.
Last year, aluminium production stood at 38.00 lakh tonnes, according to government data. Meanwhile, refined copper production saw a 7.1 per cent rise, reaching 4.97 LT in FY 2024-25, as per the Ministry of Mines.
India is among the top 10 producers of refined copper, ranks fourth globally in iron ore production, and is the second-largest aluminium producer in the world. Recognizing aluminium as a strategic resource, many advanced economies have implemented measures to protect their domestic industries.
The US has imposed a 10 per cent tariff on aluminium imports, while China has set 25 per cent duties on aluminium scrap imports from the US, along with additional restrictions. Despite these global measures, India has become the world’s largest importer of aluminium scrap, which poses challenges to the growth of its domestic aluminium industry.
With India’s aluminium demand expected to reach 10 million tonnes by 2030, the Aluminium Association of India (AAI) has been urging the government to introduce higher import duties and anti-dumping measures to support the industry’s long-term growth.
Going further, as per the government data, Iron ore accounts for 70 per cent of the total MCDR mineral production by value, with production reaching 274 million metric tonnes (MMT) in FY 2023-24. Iron ore production has continued to rise in FY 2024-25, growing by 4.4 per cent from 252 MMT in FY 2023-24 to 263 MMT.
Other key minerals also showed strong growth, with manganese ore production rising by 12.8 per cent to 3.4 MMT, and bauxite production increasing by 3.6 percent to 22.7 MMT during the same period. The official data shows tha the lead concentrate production grew by 3.5 per cent, reaching 352 thousand tonnes (THT).
Coupled with growth in aluminium and copper, these growth trends point towards continued strong economic activity in user sectors such as energy, infrastructure, construction, automotive and machinery. (With ANI Inputs)