By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/RANCHI: Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association of Odisha, Chhatisgarh and Jharkhand have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spend Rs 100 lakh crore for development of world-class infrastructure. India exported 12.6 million tonne pellets in 2019-20, up from 9.3 million tonne in 2018-19.
Also batting for introduction of export duty on pellets, Odisha Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association, in a separate letter to the Prime Minister, has said, “Pellets are allowed to be exported freely without any export duty. To improve availability for domestic sponge iron makers, export of pellets is to be restricted.”
“If the raw material prices for making of steel comes down, the cost of producing and eventually, the sale price of steel will also be competitive. We request you to kindly consider our proposal for levy of 30% export duty on iron ore pellets and ban all exports above 63% Fe to safeguard the domestic steel producers especially the secondary steel producers having no captive iron ore mine.” the Association of Chhattisgarh said.
West Bengal Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association, in yet another letter to the Prime Minister, said, “Out of the total saleable iron ore pellets (after captive consumption) available in the market, more than 60% of it is being exported out of the country at zero duty. Hardly any beneficiation is being done and more than 90% iron ore fines of high grade are directly being used for pellet making and exporting the same is actually against the vision of making 300 million tonnes steel by 2030.”
