Iron ore production in the eastern Indian state of Odisha was down five percent in May this year to 8.32 million mt compared to 8.75 million mt in April, a state government official said on Wednesday, June 29
While attributing the fall in May production to the summer heat wave in Odisha, the official said that the downward trend is expected to continue over the next few months as several mines are preparing to reduce production owing to storage issues in the wake of the spread of monsoon rains in the region.
The official affirmed, however, that, although the downward trend could continue for the next three to four months, people should not worry as this will be a temporary short-term trend and will not reverse the overall rising trend of iron ore production for the full year.
The government official also said that, while iron ore production reached the 80 million mt mark during the financial year 2015-16, the highest in the last 10 years, the government is confident that production will reach 100 million mt in the current financial year with more mines coming back to production, though the resumption of some mines could be delayed by a few months until September or October, when the monsoon rains will have retreated.