India increased its imports of rolled steel by 36.6% year-on-year to 6.02 million tons during the first 11 months of the 2025–2026 fiscal year (April 2025 – February 2026), according to preliminary government data cited by Reuters.
During the same period, exports of finished steel from India declined by 37.4% year-on-year to 5.6 million tons.
Domestic demand continued to expand, with steel consumption rising by 7.2% year-on-year to 147.7 million tons in April–February.
At the same time, India’s crude steel production increased by 11.2% year-on-year to 153.61 million tons, reflecting strong growth in the country’s manufacturing and infrastructure sectors.
India previously reached a steel production capacity of 205 million tons per year in FY2024-25 and is moving toward a long-term target of 300 million tons of annual capacity by FY2030-31.
According to industry estimates, India’s steel production grew at an average rate of about 5% per year between 2016 and 2024.
The country is also considering introducing mandatory green steel procurement rules for public projects. Industry groups suggest that a 26% requirement for low-carbon steel in government procurement could unlock up to 16 million tons of certified green steel supply by FY2029-30.
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