The country’s mineral production grew by 8% during February 2024 compared to February 2023, a press statement by the mines ministry said.
The growth for the April-February period of 2023-24 over the corresponding period of the previous year is 8.2 percent, according to the latest Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) data.
The production level of minerals in February 2024 was 966 lakh tonnes of coal, 42 lakh tonnes of lignite, 2,886 million cubic metres of natural gas (utilised), 23 lakh tonnes of crude petroleum, 2414 tonnes of bauxite, 400 thousand tonnes of chromite, and 11 thousand tonnes of copper concentrate.
In this period, the production of 255 kg of gold, 244 lakh tonnes of iron ore, 27 thousand tonnes of lead concentrate, 295 thousand tonnes of manganese ore, 149 thousand tonnes of zinc concentrate, 387 lakh tonnes of limestone, 218 thousand tonnes of phosphorite, and 10 thousand tonnes of magnesite was also registered.
The growth of gold, copper, bauxite, chromite, and phosphorite production was particularly significant during February 2024, with increases of 86%, 28.7%, 21%, and 19%, respectively.
Other important minerals that exhibited positive growth include limestone, coal, natural gas, and petroleum. The growth rate for iron ore and lead concentrate, however, declined by 0.7% and 14%, respectively.