India’s state-run iron ore pellet supplier KIOCL Limited (formerly Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited) produced 2.375 million mt of pellets in the fiscal year 2019-20, 0.8 percent higher than 2.356 million mt in the previous fiscal year, a company statement said. Higher demand in the export market, especially from China, was the main reason for the better operational results. Shipments of iron ore pellets during the year were recorded at 2.356 million mt, against 2.206 million mt during the previous fiscal year.
Total pellet exports from India reached 12.8 million mt in the 2019 calendar year, 52 percent above the previous calendar year, according to customs data. More than 75 percent of this amount was sent to China. Demand for Indian pellets in China was higher, taking into account steel production restrictions on sintering in China and less supply from Brazil after Vale’s iron ore waste dam burst in January 2019.