As per the provisional data released by mjunction services coal imports for India increased by 7.6 percent to 185.88 million tonnes (MT) in the April-December period of 2019 as compared to 172.65 MT imported in the same period last year. The month of December witnessed a surge in coal imports by 13.3 percent to 20.52 MT compared to 18.10 MT in the same month a year ago.
Non-coking coal imports too increased to 14.21 MT in December 2019 as against 12.5 MT in December 2018. The Coking coal imports were at 4.47 MT as compared to 3.76 MT imported in December 2018.
Vinaya Varma, MD and CEO mjunction said, “There was a slight uptick in import activities during the month, thanks to the recovery in steel prices and steady demand from sectors like cement and sponge iron. He added that going forward, import demand may subside a little due to current volatility in non-coking coal prices and increased supply of coal from domestic sources.
The cost of 235.2 MT of coal imports in India in 2018-19 was Rs 1.7 lakh crore.
