New Delhi, May 6 (IANS). India’s steel sector maintained its strong growth in April, according to an official statement released on Wednesday. Crude steel production rose 5.8 percent to 14.09 million tonnes from 13.31 million tonnes in the same month last year. Domestic demand also remained strong due to growth in the infrastructure and manufacturing sectors.
Steel prices also witnessed an improvement due to strong demand and prices of almost all major products increased.
Hot metal production in April increased 5.4 percent year-on-year, while pig iron production declined 6 percent to 0.69 million tonnes. Finished steel production increased by 3.4 percent to 13.05 million tonnes. At the same time, the consumption of finished steel stood at 12.99 million tonnes, which shows an increase of 8.1 percent.
On the trade front, steel imports in April stood at 0.68 million tonnes and exports at 0.47 million tonnes, making India a light net importer this month. Compared to April last year, there was an increase of 30.8 percent in imports and 24.9 percent increase in exports.
India’s total steel production capacity stood at around 220 million tonnes per annum in FY 2025-26, moving towards the target of 300 million tonnes by 2030. Large players like SAIL, Tata Steel, JSW Steel, JSPL and AMNS continue to invest in capacity addition.
Recently, Tata Steel has commissioned a scrap-based EAF green steel plant in Ludhiana at a cost of Rs 3,200 crore, the first of its kind in Punjab.
Talking about prices, TMT/Rebar prices increased by about 2.6 percent month-on-month, while on year-on-year basis an increase of 3 percent was recorded. Flat steel prices were more bullish, with HR coil rising nearly 6.3 percent and GP sheet rising nearly 7.3 percent.
Under the ‘Green Steel’ initiative of the Ministry of Steel, NISST has been made the certification agency. Till March 31, 2026, NISST has issued Green Steel Certificates to 90 producers from 15 states. These include products like TMT bars, coils, wire rods and pipes, most of which have received 5-star ratings.
Raw material prices witnessed a mixed but strong trend. Domestic iron ore prices increased by 10 to 11 percent, reflecting increasing demand from the steel sector.
Iron ore prices remained stable in the global market, while coking coal prices continued to rise slightly, putting pressure on production costs. At the same time, international scrap prices remained almost stable, which provided some relief to electric steel producers.
The government believes that India’s steel sector will remain strong in future due to infrastructure investment and increasing manufacturing activities. However, issues related to energy security, fluctuations in raw material prices and global trade will remain important for the sector in the times to come.
–IANS
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