SAIL’s net income decreases despite higher sales volume in H1 FY 2011-12

Indian state-owned steel producer Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has announced its financial and operational results for the first half of the Indian fiscal year FY 2011-12 ended on September 30.
 
Accordingly, in H1 FY 2011-12, SAIL's net income decreased by 41 percent to INR 13.34 billion ($271.2 million) compared to the corresponding period of the previous financial year. The sales turnover of the company increased by 10.4 percent year on year, reaching INR 238.8 billion ($4.8 billion). SAIL recorded a sales volume of 5.6 million mt in the first half, up 4.3 percent year on year.
 
In the given period, SAIL produced 6.1 million mt of saleable steel, slightly down from 6.12 million mt in the first half of the previous financial year, with a capacity utilization of 110 percent. During the first six months of the current Indian financial year, crude steel output of the company amounted to 6.6 million mt, up 0.3 percent year on year.
 
"We are hopeful of demand to pick up in the coming months in the country with projects likely to take off in several major sectors of the economy, particularly railways, roads, power, etc. This along with falling prices of input raw material should help the domestic steel industry combat the current challenges," said SAIL chairman Mr. C.S. Verma.