Coal imports fall 1.82% to 68.30 MT in Apr-Jun: mjunction

New Delhi: India's total coal imports fell 1.82 per cent to 68.30 million tonne in April-June period of ongoing financial year, according to a report.

The import was at 69.57 MT in the same period a year ago, mjunction said in its latest report.

The import included non-coking coal, coking coal, anthracite coal, pulverised coal injection (PCI) coal, met coke and pet coke, it said.

During the period, non-coking coal import stood at 42.99 MT against 47.44 MT in the same period last year, while coking coal import was 15.89 MT against 14.61 MT imported a year ago.

In June 2023, the import stood at around 21.03 MT, down 25.21 per cent as against 28.11 MT imported in the same month last year.

India is among the top five coal-producing countries in the world. However, some parts of its coal requirement are met through imports as the country is also among the major consumers of the dry fuel.

For coking coal -- a key raw material used in steel making -- the country remains heavily dependent on imports.

Vinaya Varma, MD & CEO, mjunction, said, “In line with expectation, there was a dip in demand for imports at the onset of monsoon, despite weakness in seaborne prices. Demand is likely to rebound once the rainy season is over and there is a pickup in industrial activity ahead of the festive season."

A B2B e-commerce platform, mjunction is a 50:50 joint venture promoted by Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and Tata Steel.