According to preliminary government statistics, the India’s steel production has increased year-on-year for H1 2018. In the first six months of 2018, crude steel production increased to 52.9 million mt from 49.7 million mt in the same period the previous year, or an increase of 6 percent.
In conjunction with the increase in crude steel production, India’s coking coal imports and iron ore imports have also increased in H1 2018. Coking coal imports in India increased to 25.7 million mt in H1 2018 from 23.8 million mt in the same period the previous year, or an increase of 8 percent. Iron ore and pellet imports reportedly increased to 8.2 million mt in H2 2018 compared to 2.1 million mt in H1 2017, almost quadrupling.
Due to the increase in domestic steel production in India, exports of iron ore and pellets declined from 19.7 million mt in H1 2017 to 11.9 million mt in H1 2018, a decline of 40 percent in exports of iron ore and pellets for the period.