India’s aluminium production was lower by 16.5 per cent at 1.72 million tonne in 2012-13 fiscal as against the target of 2.06 million tonne, a senior official of the Department of Mines said.
However, it was 3 per cent up compared to 1.67 million tonne produced in 2011-12, he said. “There are various reasons for not achieving target. Non-availability of bauxite on time for some of the units has crippled production and falling global prices also contributed to non-achieving targets,” the official said.
“Aluminium prices at London Metal Exchange have fallen by 15 to 20 per cent. We expect the prices to go up by the latter half of the year. It is common for the countries. The more they produce now, the higher the losses they incur,” he said.
Major producers of the metal in the country include state-owned National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO) and private sector units - Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), Hindustan Aluminium Company Ltd (HINDALCO) and Vedanta Aluminium Company Ltd (VAL).
A senior NALCO official had earlier said the aluminium maker may operate its sole smelter at 75 per cent capacity until global prices of the metal recover or availability of cheap domestic coal increases.
The 4.6 lakh tonne per annum capacity of the NALCO plant at Angul in eastern Odisha has been operating at a reduced capacity since May 12 after its coal supplier Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd shut a mine following an accident on April 21.