Production of key minerals in the country, such as iron ore and limestone, has continued on growth path, after registering growth in Q1 of FY 2024-25. Iron ore and limestone account for about 80% of the total MCDR mineral production by value. Production of iron ore was 79 million metric tonne (MMT) in FY 2024-25 (April-June) and limestone production was 116 MMT for the same period, after reaching record production levels in FY 2023-24.

As per provisional data, production of iron ore has increased from 90 MMT in FY 2023-24 (April-July) to 98 MMT in FY 2024-25 (April-July), showing 8.9% growth. Limestone production rose from 149 MMT in FY 2023-24 (April-July) to 150 MMT in FY 2024-25 (April-July), with 0.7% growth. Production of manganese ore has jumped by 18.2% from 1.1 MMT to 1.3 MMT in FY 2024-25 (April-July) over corresponding period of previous year.

In the non-ferrous metal sector, primary  aluminium production in FY 2024-25 (April-July) posted a growth of 1.3% over the corresponding period last year, increasing to 13.95 lakh ton (LT) in FY 2024-25 (April-July) from13.77 LT in FY2023-24 (April-July).

India is the 2^nd largest Aluminium producer, 3^rdlargest lime producer and 4^thlargest iron ore producer in the world. Continued growth in production of iron ore and limestone in the current financial year reflects the robust demand conditions in the user industries viz. steel and cement. Coupled with growth in Aluminium, these growth trends point towards continued strong economic activity in user sectors such as energy, infrastructure, construction, automotive and machinery.

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