India’s steel producers have called for stronger government intervention to curb rising steel imports, particularly from China, which produced 746.3 million tonnes (MT) of crude steel between January and September 2025 — over six times India’s output.

According to the World Steel Association, India produced 122.4 MT during the same period. In September alone, China’s production of 73.5 MT was more than fivefold India’s 13.6 MT.

The stainless steel sector continues to face pressure from imports, operating at just 60 per cent of its 7.5 MT installed capacity. Industry representatives warned that unless measures are strengthened, domestic utilisation and investment plans could suffer.

Over the past few years, the Ministry of Steel has introduced over 100 Quality Control Orders (QCOs) to prevent non-BIS-compliant steel products from entering the Indian market. The June 2025 QCO even imposed restrictions on importing certain steel inputs.

“The validity of QCOs can be extended to prevent sub-standard and cheap material from entering the country,” said an industry executive, calling for further protective measures aligned with the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.

In March 2025, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) recommended a 12 per cent provisional safeguard duty for 200 days on select steel products to counter a surge in imports. However, the stainless steel industry later sought a broader probe, as its concerns were not fully covered by the duty.

A high-level committee of NITI Aayog is expected to meet steel industry leaders next week to discuss the issue, sources indicated.

Data from BigMint show that domestic steel prices fell to a five-year low in October due to higher import inflows. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also flagged the rise in imports — largely driven by lower prices — and called for policy support to strengthen domestic competitiveness.

India imported 0.79 MT of finished steel in September 2025, up from 0.69 MT in August, marking the sixth consecutive month as a net steel importer. Imports from Korea, Russia, and Indonesia rose, while those from China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan declined year-on-year.

During the first half of FY26, inbound shipments exceeded exports by 0.47 MT despite a 40 per cent rise in export volumes to 4.43 MT, underscoring the growing import imbalance faced by the domestic steel industry.