Iron ore production sufficient to meet domestic demand: Govt

Iron ore production in the country is sufficient to meet the domestic demand and steel makers are not facing any shortage of the key input, government said today.
"Production of iron ore in the country is sufficient to meet the requirement of the steel industry," Steel and Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in the Lok Sabha.
Replying to a question on whether steel industry of the country had been facing iron ore shortfall, Tomar replied in the negative.
The minister said against production of 207.16 million tonnes (MT) iron ore in 2010-11, domestic consumption of the key steel-making raw material was 107.22 MT.

In 2011-12, while total consumption was 100.57 MT, total iron ore production was at 167.29 MT. India produced 135.85 MT iron ore in 2012-13 and it consumed 103.59 MT.
In the previous fiscal, production was 48 MT more than total consumption of 103.73 MT.

The minister also said that government was not proposing to put restriction on export of iron ore.
In a separate answer, he said the government was also not proposing to accord due priority to state-run firms for mineral concessions.
"There is no government dispensation route for major minerals like iron ore, manganese ore and chrome ore as is being done in the case of coal to reserve mines for the Central PSUs," Tomar said.