India’s copper scrap imports rose by 18pc in Jan 2020, from the prior-year period on a continued shortage of domestic copper supply after the closure of Sterlite’s Tuticorin smelter in mid-2019. Aluminium scrap imports, however, dropped by 2pc due to a drop in aluminium prices as well as demand for aluminium alloys at the end of Jan 2020 after the outbreak of COVID-19 in China.
India’s imports of stainless steel scrap also dropped by 4pc in the period , while imports of ferrous scrap rose by 4pc as India received bulk cargo from the US booked by Indian steelmakers in Oct-Nov 2019.
| Jan-20 | Jan-19 | % change | |
| India aluminium scrap imports | 1,20,552 | 1,22,605 | -2 |
| Major exporters | |||
| US | 27,262 | 27,924 | -2 |
| UK | 14,218 | 14,653 | -3 |
| UAE | 12,444 | 12,632 | -1 |
| India copper scrap imports | 23,378 | 19,736 | 18 |
| Major exporters | |||
| US | 4,021 | 4,685 | -14 |
| UK | 2,443 | 1,701 | 44 |
| Saudi Arabia | 2,297 | 2,767 | -17 |
| India SS scrap imports | 99,852 | 1,03,722 | -4 |
| Major exporters | |||
| US | 15,982 | 17,200 | -7 |
| Malaysia | 7,669 | 6,082 | 26 |
| UAE | 6,394 | 8,430 | -24 |
| India ferrous scrap imports | 6,04,202 | 5,81,103 | 4 |
| Major exporters | |||
| US | 1,10,521 | 45,027 | 145 |
| UAE | 91,090 | 1,20,203 | -24 |
| UK | 62,203 | 70,741 | -12 |