New Delhi: The country’s iron ore production rose marginally by 0.6 percent to 53 million metric tonnes (MMT) in the April-May period of the ongoing fiscal year.
As per provisional data, production of iron ore was 52.7 MMT in the same period of the previous fiscal year.
The production of manganese ore, bauxite, zinc concentrate, and limestone rose in the April-May period of the ongoing fiscal, the mines ministry said in a statement.
In the non-ferrous metal sector, primary aluminium production in April-May grew by 1.3 percent to 7.07 lakh tonnes (LT) from 6.98 LT in the year-ago period.
During the same period, refined copper production has grown by 43.5 percent, from 0.69 LT to 0.99 LT.
India is the second-largest aluminium producer, among the top ten producers in refined copper, and the third-largest iron ore producer in the world.
Continued growth in the production of iron ore in the current financial year reflects the robust demand conditions in the user industry, viz., steel.
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.