India’s coal imports saw a rise of 4.2 per cent during the April-October period of the current financial year, reaching 162.45 MT compared to 155.87 MT in the same period last year, according to data by mjunction services, a B2B e-commerce platform. However, imports in October showed a decline of 14.4 per cent, dropping to 21.84 MT from 25.54 MT in October of the previous fiscal year.

Breaking down the October import data, non-coking coal imports stood at 13.49 MT, down from 18.82 MT in October 2023. Meanwhile, coking coal imports increased slightly, reaching 4.45 MT compared to 4.31 MT in the same month last year. In comparison, September saw non-coking coal imports at 13.24 MT, while coking coal stood at 3.39 MT.

Vinaya Varma, Managing Director and CEO of mjunction, noted that there was a modest increase in non-coking coal imports in October, as buyers made purchases ahead of the festive season and the winter months. However, he added that demand is expected to moderate in the coming months due to anticipated growth in domestic coal supply during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year.
 
In November 2024, the ministry of coal achieved a notable milestone, with overall coal production reaching 90.62 million tonnes (MT), reflecting a growth of 7.20 per cent compared to 84.52 MT in the same month last year. Additionally, coal production from captive and other entities saw significant improvement, rising to 17.13 MT, up 37.69 per cent from 12.44 MT  in November 2023.