**Summary:**
The Ministry of Mines reports a growth trajectory for mineral and nonferrous metal production in FY 2025-26. The index of mineral production for March 2025 increased by 0.4% compared to March 2024, with notable increases in the production of iron ore (5.7%), manganese ore (9.7%), and zinc concentrate (5.5%). Following record production levels in FY 2024-25, key minerals continue to show strong growth in FY 2025-26. Provisional estimates for April 2025 indicate a steady increase in the production of bauxite (13.9%), limestone (1.2%), lead-zinc ore (2.4%), and zinc concentrate (7.7%) compared to April 2024. In the nonferrous metal sector, primary aluminium production increased by 1.5%, and refined copper production grew by 15.6%. India ranks as the second-largest aluminium producer and is among the top 10 refined copper producers, indicating continued economic activity in sectors such as energy, infrastructure, construction, automotive, and machinery.
Key Entities Referenced
Lead Zine Ore: A mineral, specifically Lead Zine Ore, whose production figures are being reported.
Ministry of Mines: Indian government ministry responsible for the regulation and development of the mining sector.
FY 202526: Fiscal Year 2025-2026, a period used for accounting and budgeting purposes.
PIB Delhi: Press Information Bureau, Delhi office, a nodal agency of the Government of India for disseminating information to the media.
March 2025: A specific month and year mentioned in the context of mineral production data.
March 2024: A specific month and year used for comparison with March 2025 mineral production data.
iron ore: A mineral, specifically iron ore, whose production figures are being reported.
manganese ore: A mineral, specifically manganese ore, whose production figures are being reported.
zinc concentrate: A mineral, specifically zinc concentrate, whose production figures are being reported.
MMT: Million Metric Tonne, a unit of measurement for mineral production.
FY 202425: Fiscal Year 2024-2025, a period used for accounting and budgeting purposes, specifically used for comparison.
MCDR: Likely refers to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act or rules made thereunder, which governs the mining sector in India. The text refers to 'MCDR mineral production by value'.
April 2024: A specific month and year used for comparison with April 2025 mineral production data.
April 2025: A specific month and year mentioned in the context of mineral production data.
Bauxite: A mineral, specifically bauxite, whose production figures are being reported.
limestone: A mineral, specifically limestone, whose production figures are being reported.
primary aluminium: A nonferrous metal, specifically primary aluminium, whose production figures are being reported.
LT: Lakh Ton, a unit of measurement for metal production in India (1 Lakh = 100,000).
refined copper: A nonferrous metal, specifically refined copper, whose production figures are being reported.
Shuhaib T: Likely the name of the individual responsible for the press release.
Release ID: 2133798: A unique identifier assigned to the press release.
India: Country where Mineral and nonferrous metal production is measured.
Ministry of Mines
Mineral and non-ferrous metal production on growth
track in FY 2025-26
Robust Growth in Production of Key Minerals and
non-ferrous Metals
Posted On: 04 JUN 2025 3:56PM by PIB Delhi
The index of mineral production for the mining and quarrying sector for March 2025 stood at 156.8,
increasing by 0.4% over March 2024. Minerals like iron ore, manganese ore and zinc concentrate saw notable
increase in production during March 2025 compared to March 2024. Production of iron ore rose by 5.7% to
25.9 million metric tonne (MMT) during the said period. Manganese ore production grew by 9.7% to 0.39
MMT and production of zinc concentrate rose by 5.5% to 0.19 MMT in March 2025 over March 2024.
Production of some key minerals in the country has continued to witness strong growth during FY 2025-26,
after reaching record production levels in FY 2024-25. Iron ore accounts for 70% of the total MCDR mineral
production by value. Production of iron ore was 289 million metric tonne (MMT) in FY 2024-25.
As per provisional estimates for the first month (April) of FY 2025-26, there is a steady increase in the
production of these minerals as compared to the production in the corresponding month last year. Production
of Bauxite has increased from 1.87 MMT during April 2024 to 2.13 MMT during April 2025, with 13.9%
growth. Production of limestone has increased from 39.58 MMT during April 2024 to 40.5 MMT during
April 2025, with 1.2% growth. Production of Lead & Zine Ore has increased from 1.24 MMT during April
2024 to 1.27 MMT during April 2025, with 2.4% growth. Production of Zinc Concentrate has increased from
0.13 MMT during April 2024 to 0.14 MMT during April 2025, with 7.7% growth.
In the non-ferrous metal sector, primary aluminium production in FY 2025-26 posted a growth of
1.5% over the corresponding period last year, increasing to 3.47 lakh ton (LT) in FY 2025-26 (April)
from 3.42 LT in FY 2024-25 (April). During the same comparative period, refined copper production
has grown by 15.6% from 0.45 LT to 0.52 LT.
nd
India is the 2 largest Aluminium producer, and top-10 producer in refined copper. Continued
growth in aluminium and copper points toward continued strong economic activity in user sectors
such as energy, infrastructure, construction, automotive and machinery.
****
Shuhaib T
(Release ID: 2133798)