Steel production rises 5.3%, consumption up 5.4% in FY18 till Jan: Govt

India's finished steel production during April to January period of the current financial year (2017-18) rose by 5.3 per cent to 88.592 million tonnes (mt) while country's consumption grew by 5.4 per cent to 72.497 mt in the same period, a Steel Ministry report said.

During the ten months period of 2017-18, India's finished steel export was up by 40.2 per cent to 8.222 mt over same period of 2016-17 and imports in the period stood at 6.432 mt, by 5.5 per cent over corresponding period of previous fiscal.

"Production for sale of total finished steel at 88.592 mt, registered a growth of 5.3 per cent during April-January 2017-18 over same period of last year...... India's consumption of total finished steel saw a growth of 5.4 per cent in April-January 2017-18 (to 72.497 mt) over same period of last year, under the influence of rising production for sale and imports," said the report of the ministry's Joint Plant Committee's (JPC).

Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL), Tata Steel Ltd (TSL), Essar, JSW Ltd and Jindal Steel (JSWL) and Power Ltd (JSPL) together produced 51.717 mt of finished steel for sale during the first ten months of the current fiscal, which was a growth of nine per cent over same period of last year.

The report said overall production for sale of total finished steel at 9.543 mt in January 2018, only was up by 5.7 per cent over corresponding month of 2017 but grew by 6.6 per cent over December 2017.

"During April- January 2017-18, crude steel production was 84.42 mt, a growth of 4.2 per cent over same period of last year," the report said.

According to it, the consumption at 7.629 mt in the last month (January 2018) was up by 6.8 per cent over same month of previous financial year.

Imports in January 2018 only was however at 0.335 mt, down by 44.5 per cent over year-ago month.

"Overall exports in January 2018, at 0.616 mt, was down by 30.8 per cent over January 2017 and was down by 36.1 per cent over December 2017," it added.