Production of some key minerals in the country witnessed strong growth in FY 2024-25, after reaching record production levels in FY 2023-24. Iron ore accounts for 70% of the total MCDR mineral production by value. As per provisional data, production of iron ore at 289 million metric ton (MMT) in FY 2024-25 has broken the production record of 277 MMT achieved in FY 2023-24, with a 4.3% growth. Similarly, production of manganese ore has also surpassed the production record of 3.4 MMT achieved in FY 2023-24, increasing by 11.8% to 3.8 MMT in FY 2024-25. Production of bauxite has also risen by 2.9% to 24.7 MMT in FY 2024-25 from 24 MMT in FY 2023-24. During the same period, lead concentrate production rose from 381 thousand tonne (THT) to 393 THT, with a 3.1% growth.

In the non-ferrous metal sector, primary aluminium production in FY 2024-25 has broken the production record of FY 2023-24. Primary aluminium production increased from 41.6 lakh ton (LT) in FY 2023-24 to 42 LT during FY 2024-25. Refined copper production saw a robust growth of 12.6%, increasing from 5.09 LT in FY 2023-24 to 5.73 LT in FY 2024-25.

India is the 2^nd largest Aluminium producer, among top-10 producer in refined copper and 4^th largest iron ore producer in the world. Continued growth in 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.

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Shuhaib T