New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) India’s largest iron ore producer and miner, NMDC achieved a production of 53.15 MT of iron ore in FY26, becoming the first company in India’s mining history to surpass the 50 MT annual production mark, the government said on Thursday.

The company produced 5.35 MT and sold 5.90 MT of iron ore in the month of March 2026, marking exceptional growth of 51 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively over the previous year, an official statement said.

The total production during the fiscal grew 21 per cent YoY and sales reached 50.23 MT, with a 13 per cent jump, marking its best volumes since inception.

The achievement symbolised growing strength of India’s mineral sector, with NMDC continuing to contribute a significant share to the nation’s iron ore supply, the statement from the Ministry of Steel said.

The record output is driven by robust performance from NMDC’s major iron ore mines – Kirandul and Bacheli in Chhattisgarh and Donimalai in Karnataka, recording their best performance.

NMDC’s international office in Dubai was inaugurated in FY26, and the fiscal also saw the successful operationalisation of first coal mine in Jharkhand and the commissioning of Deposit 4 at Bailadila in Chhattisgarh.

As India moves steadily towards its $5 trillion economy goal and strengthens its global leadership, demand and consumption of iron ore is expected to surge. NMDC is strategically augmenting its capacities to meet this rising demand and enable sustained economic growth.

“With this strong momentum, we have set a decisive pace for FY27 and with our expansion plans backed by optimised resource development initiatives, we are confidently progressing towards our larger vision of powering Viksit Bharat,” said Amitava Mukherjee CMD, NMDC.

NMDC’s high-grade iron ore continues to power the operations of some of India’s leading steel producers, playing a critical role in enabling the nation’s infrastructure development, manufacturing growth, and expanding steel demand.

The company has set a vision of achieving over 100 MT of iron ore production capacity by 2030 through new mining projects, capacity enhancements and infrastructure development.

—IANS

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