The mining and quarrying sector plays a crucial role in India’s economy, providing a significant contribution to the country’s GDP. The Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) recently released provisional figures for the month of December 2022, indicating that the index of mineral production for the mining and quarrying sector stood at 107.4, an increase of 9.8% compared to December 2021, with the base year being 2011-12. Additionally, the cumulative growth for the period April-December 2022-23 was 5.4% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.
Among the important minerals, coal production for December 2022 stood at 833 lakh tonnes, while lignite production was 35 lakh tonnes. Natural gas (utilized) production was 2888 million cubic meters, and crude petroleum production was 25 lakh tonnes. Bauxite production was 2272 thousand tonnes, while chromite production was 340 thousand tonnes. Copper concentrate production was 10 thousand tonnes, and gold production was 174 kg.
Iron ore production stood at 251 lakh tonnes, while lead concentrate production was 30 thousand tonnes. Manganese ore production was 307 thousand tonnes, and zinc concentrate production was 137 thousand tonnes. Limestone production was 355 lakh tonnes, phosphorite production was 170 thousand tonnes, magnesite production was 9 thousand tonnes, and diamond production was 43 carats.
The figures indicate that several important minerals showed positive growth during December 2022 and over December 2021. Gold production saw a significant growth of 64.2%, followed by phosphorite at 53.9%, iron ore at 19.5%, limestone at 14.5%, and manganese ore at 12.8%. Coal production showed an increase of 11.4%, zinc concentrate production grew by 9.4%, and lead concentrate production grew by 4.5%.
Copper concentrate production and natural gas (utilized) production also showed growth, with 3.9% and 2.6% respectively. However, some important minerals, such as petroleum, bauxite, lignite, chromite, magnesite, and diamond showed negative growth. Petroleum production decreased by 1.2%, while bauxite production decreased by 9%. Lignite production decreased by 10.7%, chromite production decreased by 11.5%, magnesite production decreased by 22.5%, and diamond production decreased by 38.6%.
The Indian Bureau of Mines’ provisional figures for the mining and quarrying sector for December 2022 indicates positive growth in the sector. While some important minerals experienced a decline, the overall growth is encouraging and highlights the importance of the mining and quarrying sector in the Indian economy. The growth in mineral production also points to the potential for increased industrial development, which could further boost economic growth in the country.
