"For next year's production target is 507 million tonne and offtake is 520 million tonne... That is the double digit growth. The asking rate is close to 10," CIL Chairman and Managing Director S Narsing Rao told reporters here.
On whether CIL will be able to achieve its production target for 2013-14, Rao said: "This year there will be a shortfall." He refused to say how much will be the shortfall.
"Southern peninsula, there is some shortage partly because of the logistic issues, partly whatever issues. There are some 5-6 stations in Southern India facing constraints, otherwise there is plenty of coal today. 19 point something is the coal stock available with the thermal power plants."
Earlier Coal India had said that it may miss the target of 482 MT, by about 12 MT for the 2013-14 financial year, ending March 31.
He had attributed the projected production loss to a number of factors, including delays in securing clearances for CIL's projects, cyclone Phailin and problems related to evacuation.
CIL, which accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic production, contributed 452.5 MT of coal in 2012-13 as against the target of 464 MT.
