India’s coal imports has increased by 13 per cent to 21.64 million tonnes (mt) in February 2024 from 19.15 mt in February 2023.
This surge was attributed to certain buyers replenishing their stocks in anticipation of the upcoming summer season. Of the total imports in February 2024, non-coking coal imports saw a significant increase to 13.77 mt, up from 11.68 mt in the corresponding period last year. The overall coal imports for the April-February period of fiscal year 2023-24 also showed an upward trend, reaching 244.27 mt compared to 227.93 mt in the same period of the previous fiscal year. Within this period, non-coking coal imports stood at 160.63 mt, while coking coal imports totaled 51.87 mt. This marks an increase from 148.58 mt and 50.50 mt, respectively, recorded during April-February 2022-23.