India’s copper concentrate production in January fell by 19pc to 10,000mt from the year prior. Iron ore production was also down 6.6pc in January 2021 to 21.4mn mt from 2020 levels, according to mineral production data released by the government on March 18.
India’s index for the mineral and mining sector fell by 3.7pc in January compared to the prior-year period, weighed down by lower production of gold, copper, bauxite, lead, iron ore, among others. The index for April 2020 – January 2021 fell by 10.4pc from the same period last year. COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has resulted in low production. Yet another wave of the pandemic, is making it difficult for mining companies to carry out scheduled activities with new work norms, particularly in mines.
Only some minerals reported growth in January compared to the preceding year. Production of zinc concentrate rose 9.6pc from 2020 to 150,000mt in January 2021. On the contrary, iron ore production recorded a dip of 6.6pc to 21.4mn mt, bauxite production slipped 13.6pc to 1.8mn mt, copper concentrates production was at 10,000mt, down 19.8pc. Production of lead concentrates was down 2.5pc in January to 35,000mt.