India’s coal imports rose marginally by 1.23% to 21.37 million tonnes (MT) in January 2025, compared to 21.11 MT in the same month of the previous fiscal, according to data compiled by mjunction services Ltd, a B2B e-commerce platform.
Coal Import Trends
The overall coal imports remained largely flat at 222.67 MT during April-January FY25. Non-coking coal imports stood at 141.18 MT, lower than the 146.86 MT recorded during the same period last year. Meanwhile, coking coal imports declined to 45.88 MT from 47.32 MT in the previous fiscal.
In January 2025, non-coking coal imports were recorded at 12.33 MT, down from 13.40 MT in January 2024. However, coking coal imports saw an increase to 5.23 MT from 4.50 MT in the same period last year.
Market Outlook
“There is a subdued demand for imported material despite softness in seaborne prices, primarily due to ample stock available in the domestic market. We expect the weak trend to continue till the onset of summer,” said Vinaya Varma, MD & CEO of mjunction.
Domestic Coal Production Growth
Despite the marginal rise in imports, India’s coal production increased by 5.88% during the April-January period, reaching 830.66 MT compared to 784.51 MT in the corresponding period of the previous year. This increase in domestic supply has contributed to a reduced reliance on coal imports.
The current trend suggests that domestic production will continue to play a crucial role in meeting India’s energy demands while impacting coal import volumes.
