India has seen substantial growth in the production of key minerals and non-ferrous metals in the first half of FY 2024-25, continuing the momentum from the record levels achieved in FY 2023-24, the Ministry of Mines shared on Friday.
Iron ore, which represents around 70 per cent of the total Mineral Conservation and Development Rules (MCDR) mineral production by value, reached 274 million metric tonnes (MMT) in FY 2023-24. Provisional data shows a 5.5 per cent rise in iron ore production, increasing from 128 MMT in the April-September period of FY 2023-24 to 135 MMT in the same period this year.
In the manganese sector, production grew by 6.2 per cent, reaching 1.7 MMT during the first half of FY 2024-25 compared to 1.6 MMT last year, driven by increased demand across multiple industries.
In the non-ferrous metals sector, India’s primary aluminium production grew by 1.2 per cent, rising to 20.90 lakh tonnes (LT) in the first half of FY 2024-25 from 20.66 LT during the same period last year. Refined copper output rose by 4.6 per cent, reaching 2.50 LT from 2.39 LT during the same comparative period.
India remains the world’s second-largest producer of aluminium, one of the top-10 producers of refined copper, and the fourth-largest iron ore producer. The continued rise in mineral and metal production is largely attributed to robust demand across sectors such as steel, energy, infrastructure, construction, automotive, and machinery.
These growth trends indicate strong economic activity across key industrial sectors, underscoring India’s expanding role in the global mineral and metal markets.
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