Question : Iron Ore and Finished Iron

(a) the total production capacity, actual production, consumption and the export of both iron ore and finished Steel of all Steel plants in the country;
(b) whether there is dearth in the supply of iron ore or raw material for the Steel plants in the country;
(c) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor along with the steps taken by the Government to make Steel industry more efficient;
(d) whether the Steel Authority of India Limited and the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited are focusing on opening new market, maximisation of sales and high standards of customer services; and
(e) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken in this regard and the outcome of the efforts made by them during the said period?

THE MINISTER OF STEEL (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

(a) The production, export and estimated consumption of iron ore in the country are as under:-
(in million tonnes)
Year Production Export Estimated Consumption
2018-19 207.7 16.2 159.94
(Source: JPC/IBM)

The crude steel capacity, crude steel production and total finished steel export and consumption in the country are as under:-
(in million tonnes)
Year Crude Steel Capacity Crude Steel Production Total Finished
Steel Export Total Finished Steel Consumption
2018-19 142.24 110.92 6.36 98.71
Source: JPC

(b)&(c): The production of iron ore in the country is sufficient to meet the current demand/consumption of iron ore by domestic steel industry. However, the entire demand of coking coal is not met from domestic production as the availability of high-quality coking coal (low-ash coal) in the country is limited and thus no option is left but to resort to import of coking coal.

As regards coking coal, during 2018-19 the total demand of coking coal for steel industry was 58.37 MT. Out of this, 51.83 MT were met through imports, 1.6 MT was provided by Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) and Coal India Limited (CIL) and remaining was catered by captive collieries of SAIL and TATA Steel.

(d)&(e): Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL): SAIL is focussed on maximising sales through existing and new markets. There are continuous efforts to improve upon the customer services. During 2018-19, saleable steel sales were 14.11 Million Tonnes. In the current financial year 2019-20 till Dec, 2019, the saleable steel sales are about 10.7 Million Tonnes, which is a growth of about 7.7% over CPLY. SAIL has made efforts to improve customer services through introduction of new brands of reinforcement Bars & Parallel Flanged Structurals, Digital Payment Methods, Door-delivery, Incentivisation of local MSMEs around its Plants etc.

SAIL has also exported various products to new international markets. Some of the initiatives taken towards higher customer satisfaction for export markets are:-

i. Commencing operations from Paradip Port for exports
ii. Increased number of containerized shipments for catering to smaller sized export orders.

Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL): RINL policies are directed towards enhancing its presence in the steel market while supplying quality steel to the customers. For providing fillip/boost to the steel consumption in rural India, pro-active campaign is made to highlight usage of RINL products & their advantages in the community infrastructure in rural & semi-urban areas.

RINL regularly supplies steel products to many MSME units, including SSICs & NSICs, engaged in the manufacturing sector. Besides, RINL has a large network of Manufacturers, Project customers & Retailers to cater to the steel requirements across the country. RINL is giving emphasis and thrust on exports.

To improve the existing process & products and also to develop new products, RINL interacts with its customers on regular basis and takes their feedback and requirement.

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