Coal imports rise marginally by 0.9% to 90.51 MT in Apr-Jul of FY25

There is a "critical need" for coal imports, and the country has reported a marginal rise of 0.9 per cent to 90.51 mt in the April-July period of FY25, according to an official statement.

India, which has the fifth-largest coal reserves in the world, is also its second-largest consumer, driven by a rapidly growing economy, Ministry of Coal said on Wednesday.

Coal production during the April-July FY25 period increased 9.56 per cent to 321.40 MT from 293.35 MT in FY24.

"However, the current consumption landscape reveals a critical need for imports, particularly for coking coal and high-grade thermal coal, which are not sufficiently available within domestic reserves. This shortfall necessitates imports to support key industries, including steel," it said.

According to the ministry, coal imports during April-July period of FY25 reported a marginal increase of 0.9 per cent, reaching 90.51 million tonnes (MT) level compared to 89.68 MT in the previous year.

While the non-coking coal ..