New Delhi, Feb 3 : The production of key minerals, such as iron ore, manganese and aluminium, in the country has continued to witness strong growth during the first nine months (April-December) of FY 2024-25, after reaching record production levels in FY 2023-24, the Ministry of Mines said on Monday.

As per provisional data, production of iron ore, which accounts for 69 per cent of the total mineral production by value, has increased from 203 million metric tonnes (MMT) in FY 2023-24 (April-December) to 208 MMT in FY 2024-25 (April- December), showing a 2.5 per cent growth, the official figures showed.

The production of manganese ore has risen by 8.3 per cent to 2.6 MMT in FY 2024-25 (April- Dec) from 2.4 MMT during the corresponding period of the previous year.

Similarly, the production of chromite has risen by 9.5 per cent to 2.3 MMT during these 9 months from 2.1 MMT in the same period last year while the production of bauxite has risen by 6.5 per cent year-on-year to 18.1 MMT from 17.0 MMT.

In the non-ferrous metal sector, primary aluminium production in FY 2024-25 (April- December) posted a growth of 1.6 per cent over the corresponding period last year, increasing to 31.56 lakh tonnes (LT) from 31.07 LT. During the same comparative period, refined copper production has grown by 7.3 per cent from 3.69 LT to 3.96 LT, according to the official statement.

India is the second-largest aluminium producer and the fourth-largest iron ore producer in the world. The country is also among the top 10 producers of refined copper.

The continued growth in production of iron ore in the current financial year reflects the robust demand conditions in the steel industry which uses iron ore as a raw material. Coupled with growth in aluminium and copper, these growth trends point towards continued strong economic activity in user sectors such as energy, infrastructure, construction, automotive and machinery, the official statement added.

/IANS