India's Coal Imports See Modest Growth in April-October Period

India's coal imports rose by 4.2% to 162.45 million tonnes (MT) in the April-October period of the current financial year, compared to 155.87 MT in the same period last year, according to data from mjunction services, a B2B e-commerce platform.

However, in October alone, coal imports dropped by 14.4% to 21.84 MT compared to 25.54 MT in the corresponding month of the previous fiscal year. Non-coking coal imports in October stood at 13.49 MT, down from 18.82 MT in October last year, while coking coal imports slightly increased to 4.45 MT from 4.31 MT.

Demand Likely to Remain Moderate

Vinaya Varma, MD & CEO of mjunction, noted that there was a modest increase in non-coking coal volumes in October due to buyers taking fresh positions during the festive month and ahead of the winter season. He anticipates moderate demand going forward, citing expected growth in domestic supply during the fourth quarter.

Minister Calls for Reduced Dependence on Imported Coal

Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy recently urged the steel sector to reduce its dependence on imported coal and make necessary technological changes. He expressed hopes that the coal production target of 1,080 million tonnes for the current fiscal year would be met.