Assocham seeks ban on iron ore exports

Iron ore exports should be banned from all ore producing states in order to preserve this natural resource for future value addition with in the country.

“While India is exporting its natural resources to China, China is building up inventory for future use without exploiting its resource. So, there should be a ban on iron ore exports from all producing states to conserve it for future value addition with in the country,” D S Rawat, secretary general of Assocham, said.

The chamber also hailed the decision of Karnataka government to ban ore export.

“We would like to appeal to the state governments of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand among others to ask the Centre for banning iron ore exports,” he added.

As domestic steel industry has given a road map for using iron ore fines in the country, the produce should not be exported, he added.

Citing the case of China, he said, it imported iron ore from various countries, including India and was preserving its own natural wealth. It was using the wealth of others to fuel its industries. Nearly 85 per cent of iron ore from India was exported to China, he said.

The chambers had suggested the ban on these exports be carried out in a phased manner going by plea of mining firms that lakhs were involved in the industry and it was question of their livelihoods.