Production of some key minerals in the country witnessed strong growth in FY 2024-25 after reaching record production levels in FY 2023-24, with the Iron ore accounting for 70 per cent of the total Mineral Conservation and Development Rules (MCDR) mineral production by value.

According to the provisional data, production of iron ore at 289 million metric tonne (MMT) in FY 2024-25 has broken the production record of 277 MMT achieved in FY 2023-24, with a 4.3 per cent growth. Similarly, production of manganese ore has also surpassed the production record of 3.4 MMT achieved in FY 2023-24, increasing by 11.8 per cent to 3.8 MMT in FY 2024-25, the Mines ministry said on Monday.

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Production of bauxite has also risen by 2.9 per cent to 24.7 MMT in FY 2024-25 from 24 MMT in FY 2023-24. During the same period, lead concentrate production rose from 381 thousand tonne (THT) to 393 THT, with a 3.1 per cent growth.

In the non-ferrous metal sector, primary aluminium production in FY 2024-25 has broken the production record of FY 2023-24. Primary aluminium production increased from 41.6 lakh tonne (LT) in FY 2023-24 to 42 LT during FY 2024-25. Refined copper production saw a robust growth of 12.6 per cent, increasing from 5.09 LT in FY 2023-24 to 5.73 LT in FY 2024-25.

India is the second largest Aluminium producer, among the top 10 producers in refined copper and the fourth largest iron ore producer in the world.

Continued growth in the production of iron ore in the current financial year reflects the robust demand conditions in the user industry, viz steel. Coupled with growth in aluminium and copper, these growth trends point towards continued strong economic activity in user sectors such as energy, infrastructure, construction, automotive and machinery.