The production of iron ore, manganese ore and primary aluminium increased in the first six months of the ongoing financial year, government data showed.
According to provisional data, iron ore production rose 5.5 per cent to 135 million tonnes (mt) in April-September FY25, up from 128 mt in the year-ago period.
The ministry said that manganese ore output increased by 6.2 per cent to 1.7 mt in April-September from 1.6 mt during the previous fiscal year.
In the non-ferrous metal sector, primary aluminium production in April-September rose by 1.2 per cent to 20.90 lakh tonne (LT) from 20.66 LT in the year-ago period.
“During the same comparative period, refined copper production has grown by 4.6 per cent from 2.39 LT to 2.50 LT,” the ministry said.
Iron ore accounts for about 70 per cent of the total mineral production by value. Production of iron ore was 274 million tonnes in 2023-24.
The continued growth in iron ore production in the current financial year reflects the robust demand conditions in the user industry, viz. steel. Coupled with growth in aluminium and copper, these trends point towards continued strong economic activity in user sectors such as energy, infrastructure, construction, automotive, and machinery.
India is the second largest aluminium producer, among the top ten producers of refined copper and the fourth largest iron ore producer globally.