NEW DELHI Oct 23 (Reuters) – India’s thermal and coking
coal imports rose 18 percent to 63.98 million tonnes in April to
September from a year ago, coal ministry figures provided by an
official showed, as local supplies continued to lag galloping
demand.
Asia’s third-largest economy imported 102.853 million tonnes
of thermal and coking coal in the 2011/12 fiscal year, jumping
nearly 50 percent from a year earlier, the figures given to
Reuters on Tuesday showed.
The ministry expects India to produce 574.40 million tonnes
of coal in 2012/13, 6.4 percent more than in the previous fiscal
year.
But the shortfall between India’s domestic coal supply and
coal demand will be around 192 million tonnes in the fiscal year
to March 2013, according to the coal ministry.
India is seen importing 100 million tonnes of thermal coal
alone in this fiscal year, despite a sluggish revival of
post-monsoon spot buying and a slowing economy, suppliers and
end-users have said.
Indian thermal coal imports were 71.052 million tonnes in
the last fiscal year, while its coking coal imports stood at
31.801 million tonnes.
(Reporting by Malini Menon; Editing by Jo Winterbottom)
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