State-run NMDC registered a robust 15% year-on-year increase in iron ore production for April, reaching 4 million tonnes (MT), up from 3.48 MT a year ago. Sales also grew modestly by 3%, touching 3.63 MT from 3.53 MT in April 2024.

Amitava Mukherjee, CMD of NMDC, said, “Our record-breaking April performance, coupled with best-ever despatch figures from our key mines — Kirandul (12% growth), Bacheli (4%), and Donimalai (88%) — reinforces our leadership in iron ore and sets the stage for our 100 MT ambition by 2030.”

The company also achieved a milestone in pellet production, clocking an all-time April high of 23,000 tonnes, surpassing the previous record set in 2018.

NMDC, operating under the Ministry of Mines, remains India’s largest iron ore producer.

In parallel, NMDC Steel Limited (NSL) — now a separate entity — recorded an 8.5% rise in hot metal output in April, producing 2,30,111 tonnes compared to 2,11,978 tonnes in March. NSL’s flagship 3-MT capacity Nagarnar Steel Plant in Chhattisgarh, one of India’s newest, was built at a cost of Rs 240 billion.