Post on 06-Apr-2018
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he Indian Ferro Alloyindustry wasTestablished over 50years ago. The installedcapacity of the industry with acapital investment of `4,000crore in 2002-03 was about 1.7Mt of Bulk and Noble FerroAlloys. In 2002-03, Indiaproduced 1,003,371 tonnes ofBulk Ferro Alloys and 12,763tonnes of Noble Ferro Alloysand exported 182,605 tonnesof total ferro alloys earning`3,480 million tonnes in foreignexchange. The performance hasimproved remarkable during thelast seven years.Ferro Alloys are vitaladditives that are added in steelproduction for de-oxidation,grain size control, impartingspecific properties to thefinished steel and improvementin mechanical properties.Depending upon the process ofsteelmaking, product qualityenvisaged and the type of steelbeing made, the requirement offerro alloys varies widely. FerroAlloys consist of less than onepercent of the total rawmaterials required forsteelmaking but despite being avery low constituent, they play avital role in steel making.
Ferro Alloys :Ferro Alloys :Significant for Indian EconomySignificant for Indian Economy
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Demand Drivers of FerroAlloys
The major demand drivers of ferro
alloys are :
lCrude Steel Production
lAlloy and Special Steel Production
lStainless Steel Production
Types of Ferro Alloys
The product mix of Ferro Alloys
consists of :
(a) Bulk Ferro Alloys : HC Ferro
Manganese, Silico Manganese, Ferro
Silicon, HC Ferro Chrome . Charge
Chrome etc.
(b) Noble Ferro Alloys : Ferro
Molybdenum, Ferro Vanadium, Ferro
Tungsten, Ferro Silico Zirconium,
Ferro Titanium, Ferro Boron etc.
InvestmentThe Indian Ferro Alloys industry
has already invested over `60,000
million capital goods by way of plant
and machinery, employing lakhs of
people, directly and indirectly, with
annual capacity of over four million
tonnes of Bulk and Noble Ferro Alloys.
The Indian Ferro Alloy industry
earned `43,478 million in 2009-10 in
foreign exchange. According to the
Indian Ferro Alloys Producer's
Association (IFAPA), the present
capacity of the industry can easily cater
to the requirement of the domestic
steel industry to produce 120 million
tones. The present capacity is
expected to go up by over 50 percent
by 2012-13.
Location of Ferro AlloyIndustry
Ferro Alloy units in the country are
s i tua ted i n Andhra P radesh ,
Chattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka,
Meghalaya, Orissa, Pondicherry, West
Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh; of
these Manganese Alloy units are
concentrated in Andhra Pradesh,
Arunachal Pradesh, Chattisgarh,J a m m u , J h a r k h a n d , K e r a l a ,
Maharashtra, Meghalaya and West
Bengal. Ferro Silicon units are present
in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West
Bengal while Ferro are present in
Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West
Bengal while Ferro Chrome units arelocated in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh andWest Bengal.Noble Ferro Alloy units areconcentrated in Andhra Pradesh,
Gujarat, Orissa and West Bengal.Ferro Alloys as De-Oxidant forSteelmaking Technology InvolvedFerro Alloys are used for de-oxidation of the steel melt and asalloying element addition depending onthe type of ferro alloy. It is the relativeaffinity of the alloying elements / de-oxidations towards oxygen at differenttemperatures that determines themethod and time of addition forachieving the optimum recovery. Ingeneral, the loss of ferro alloys ishigher when introduced in the furnace
than when added to the jet of steel or tothe ladle on tapping, opines technologyexperts. According to technologists,de-oxidents like Si-Mn, Fe-Mn, Fe-Siand aluminium are used singly or incombination depending upon the qualityof steel to be produced.For achieving the lowest level ofoxygen in steels, aluminium (Al) de-oxidation is preferred. Also, for thesilicon inclusions in steel, Si-Mn and Alare used for deoxidation whichinvolves the use of a combination ofde-oxidants and results in effectivede-oxidation.Steel technologists maintain thatthe steel melt should be free fromoxidizing slag for most satisfactory de-oxidation. Effective de-oxidation helpsin de-sulphurisation through timeadditions followed by argon/ nitrogenstirring that helps in better slag tometal in interaction.Role of Ferro Alloy Industryin Indian EconomyAccording to IFAPA, if properlynurtured and the Government plays aproactive role, the Indian Ferro Alloyindustry has the potential to make India
the hub for Ferro Alloys to the world.The contribution of the Indian FerroAlloy industry to the country'seconomy are mentioned below :A Valuable Foreign ExchangeEarnerEarnings of Ferro Alloy Industry
Are Ploughed Back to the Society
The industry has re-invested it
profits in setting up captive powe
plants, acquiring coal mines, ore mine
to and is spending huge sums on
Society by setting up residentia
complexes, schools, colleges and
hospitals etc.
Electricity Generation
Electricity generation by the
industry's CPPs is also supplied to the
Grid, thus increasing availability o
power in India
Employment to the People
It is estimated that a 50,000 / M
ferro alloy plant supports about 750
around the plant (i.e. a total of abou
60,000 families) by the Ferro Alloy
industry in India and these plants are
located in remote areas where there i
no other source of employment.
Capacities and Production of Ferro
Alloys in India : 2009-10
Capacities and production of Ferro
Alloys in India in 2009-10 were a
follows :
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Type of Alloy Capacity (Mt) Production in 2009-10 (Mt) Capacity Utilisation (%)
Manganese Alloys
Chromium Alloys
Ferro Silicon
Noble Ferro Alloys
Total
2.50
1.30
0.20
0.04
4.04
1.49
0.90
0.10
0.03
2.52
0
69
50
75
62
Capacities of Bulk Ferro Alloys in India
Capacities of Bulk Ferro Alloys in terms of MVA, number of furnaces and
number of units are furnished in Table 1.
Alloys
Manganese Alloys
Ferro Silicon
Chrome Alloys
Total Bulk Ferro Alloys
Capacity (MVA)
1574
196
880
2650
No. of Furnaces
203
30
58
291
No. of Units
98
16
30
144
Table 1 : Capacities of Bulk Ferro Alloys in India : 2008-09
Manganese Alloys
Ferro Chrome
Ferro Silicon
Total Additions
42 Units
8 Units
3 Units
980 MVA
440 MVA
54 MVA
1474 MVA
Expected Capacity Additions of BulkFerro Alloys upto 2011-12
According to IFAPA, estimates, 13Captive Power Plants with a totalcapacity of 1,000 MW may come up by2011-12.Raw MaterialsManganese OreAs per Indian Bureau of Mines(IBM), the reserves of Manganese Oreas on 01.04.2005 were as follows :
Total Inferred Reserves
Proved ReservesProbable Reserves
Total Recoverable Reserves
Ferro Manganese GradeMedium Grade
Proved Reserves Ferro Alloy Grade
378 Mt
77 Mt61 Mt
138 Mt
5 Mt8 Mt
13 Mt
Major Reserves
Major reserves of Manganese Ore
are of B.F. grade and occurs in
Maharashtra, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh,
Karnataka, Jharkhand and Goa.India's present production, as per
IBM, of Manganese Ore is over 2 Mt.
Manganese is an essential requisite
for steel production due to its special
capability of sulphur fixing de-
oxidising and good alloying properties.
Manganese alloy is introduced in
steelmaking in the form of ferro
manganese, silico manganese and
manganese metal. These are produced
by the reduction of manganese ore with
carbon / silicon at high temperatures in
blast furnaces and electric arc furnaces
(EAFs).
For production of one tonne of ferro
manganese, inputs required are : 2.6
tonnes of manganese ore, 0.5 tonne of
reductant, and 3 MWH of electricity.
Silico Manganese production is carried
out by reduction of manganese ore,
quartzite and manganese slag with
coke.
Stainless steel accounts for about
5/6 percent of the total production of
ferro manganese and silico manganese
in India. The average consumption of
manganese alloys by the Indian
stainless steel industry is about 105 Kg
per tones. As the Indian stainless steel
industry is likely to post healthy
growths in future years. The
consumption of manganese alloys will
also increase substantially. According
to ISSDA, the demand of stainless steel
will grow by 12.3 percent between2010 and 2015.
India is the seventh highest
producer of manganese ore in the
world. According to industry experts,
the Indian manganese alloy industry
has the potential to meet the challenges
despite various constraints. With thenecessary supportive measures fromthe government, the industry can movefaster towards the path of sustainablegrowth and meet the requirement of theexpanding Indian steel industry infuture.
Ava i lab i l i ty of h igh grademanganese ore is very critical for theindustry. Manganese Ore (India) Ltd. isunable to meet the increasing demandof the domestic producers and they arecompelled to import manganese ore. In2008-09, the import of manganese oreby India stood at 824,297 tonnes asagainst 686,052 tonnes in the previousyear for the production of manganesealloys.Chrome OreAccording to Indian Bureau ofMines (IBM), the reserves of ChromeOre in India as on 01.04.2005 were asfollows :
Total Inferred Reserves
Proved ReservesProbable Reserves
Total Recoverable Reserves
213 Mt
31 Mt35 Mt
66 Mt
In 2008-09, about 3.5 Mt of Chrome
Ore was produced in India. Orissa alone
producers about 98 percent of Chrome
Ore in the country.
The sale and major supplier o
Chrome Ore to the country's ferro
chrome industry is the Orissa MiningCorporation (OMC). But the supply o
chrome ore is not sufficient for the
industry. Tata Steel and other majo
Chrome Ore lease holders, have
stopped supplies to other producer
and are using their production for thei
own Ferro Chrome plants.
To avoid congestion by allotting
leases to a number of ferro chrome
producers for their captive use and in
the interest of ferro chrome industry
Government has allotted entire chrome
ore deposits in Orissa to OMC which i
a public sector undertaking, so tha
they can judiciously mine and supplythe material to the Ferro Chrome
producers in the country who do no
have their own mining leases.
OMC has now the control over abou
80 percent of the total Chrome Ore
leases in Orissa. The industry maintain
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that proper allocation is not taking
place and the units outside Orissa are
suffering. The industry, therefore, has
to depend on imports. In 2008-09
94,415 tonnes of chrome ore was
imported by India.The allocation policy of OMC is
disturbing the dynamics of the ferro
chrome industry as most of the units
located outside Orissa have made huge
investments particularly to set up their
captive power generation capacities.
The Indian Ferro Alloy Producers
Association (IFAPA) is very much
concerned with the decision to bar the
natural resources all over the country,
while exporting the some to other
countries without any restriction.
About 80 percent of High Carbon
Ferro Chrome produced in India goes
for the production of stainless steel.
With projected higher growth in
stainless steel production in the
country in the future years, the
domestic consumption of HC Ferro
Chrome will reach much higher levels.
India holds a leading position in the
world in the production of HC Ferro
Chrome as well as in its exports.
India is the third highest global
producer of Chromium Ore. Chrome
Ore is used in the production of
chromium metal and various alloys of
chromium with iron, nickel, cobalt,
tungsten, molybdenum etc. Chromiumimports strength, hardness, toughness,
magnetism, and offers resistance to
abrasion, corrosion and also acts as a
de-oxidant.
The use of chromium in steelmaking
depends on the end-use purchase. Low
Chromium steels with less than 5
percent chromium and small quantities
of nickel is used in the production of
rails, automobiles, armoured plates etc.
Intermediate steels containing up to 12
percent chromium along with small
quantities of tungsten, molybdenum or
silicon are used in high speed valves for
engines and equipment which require
resistance to abrasion, corrosion and
oxidation. High chromium steel are
stainless and super stainless steels
used for manufacture of cutlery,
cooking utensils, airports and high
speed trains.
Power
Ferro Alloy industry is highly
power intensive. IFAPA maintains that
though the generation cost of power in
India is not high, the power tariff which
has to be paid by the ferro alloyindustry is high because of cross
subsidation to agricultural sector, low
plant load factor of SEBs etc. and high
transmission and distribution (T&D)
losses which is estimated at over 35
percent.
Electricity Duty, which varies from
state to state in India creates additional
financial burden for the ferro alloy
industry. Though power sector
reforms are going on since 2003, the
impact of this development on long-
term prices of power, specially to
power intensive consumers like the
ferro alloy producers in the country, is
difficult to assess, since the electricity
market in India still remains in a stateof flux.Electricity generation by the IndianFerro Alloy industry through CaptivePower Plants (CPPs) is also supplied to
the Grid, thus helping in the increasesof availability of power in the country.The ferro alloy units are required tomaintain a minimum demand of 85percent of power in their operationThis clearly shows that the industryhas paid much more than the normapower tariff applicable for this industrywhich has earned substantial revenueto the various state Governments aswell as the Central Government.Production of Ferro Alloys inIndiaThe production of various types o
ferro alloys in India between the years2005-06 and 2009-10 are furnished inTable 2.Ferro Alloys
H.C. Ferro Manganese
M.C. Ferro Manganese
L.C. Ferro Manganese
Silico Manganese
M.C. Silico Manganese
L.C. Silico Manganese
Ferro Silicon
H.C. Ferro Chrome / Charge Chrome
L.C. Ferro Chrome
Noble Ferro Alloys
Total
2009-10
374.2
9.2
6.0
1045.2
39.2
15.4
101.9
889.1
3.5
31.3
2515.0
2008-09
370.5
8.3
5.8
845.4
31.5
14.5
99.6
814.9
2.4
27.4
2220.3
2007-08
378.0
7.5
5.7
858.6
25.0
17.8
83.7
948.4
0.2
29.7
2364.3
2006-07
281.0
9.2
6.5
738.3
29.6
15.1
92.6
801.1
0.2
27.8
2001.4
Table 2 : Production of Ferro Alloys in India : 2006-07 to 2009-10 ('000 Tonnes)
It is apparent from the above tablethat production of Ferro Alloys in Indiahas recorded a healthy growth of 13.29percent in 2009-10 over the previousyear. However, it may be mentionedthat the production in 2008-09 wasrestricted during the year due to lack ofdemand as a result of the global crisisthat started in October, 2008 andaffected India's steel industryadversely to some extent. Manganesealloys production registered a growthof over 16 percent, the output of FerroSilicon went up by a marginal 2.31percent and chrome alloys productionincreased by 9.21 percent in 2009-10over the proceeding year.
Exports of Ferro Alloys byIndia
The Indian ferro alloy industryrecorded a marginal increase of 1.8percent in exports 2009-10 over theprevious year. However, the exporearnings of Rs. 43,478 million declinedsharply 31.74 percent in 2009-10 acompared to the preceding year due toa reduction of prices in the globamarket during the year as against theprevious year.
Detailed figures of item wiseexports of various ferro alloys by Indiabetween 2006-07 and 2009-10 arepresented in Table 3.
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Ferro Alloys
HC Ferro Manganese
Silico Manganese
MC Silico ManganeseLC Silico Manganese
Ferro Silicon
HC Ferro Chrome / Charge Chrome
Ferro Molybdenum
Ferro Silico Magnesium
Ferro Aluminium
Ferro Titanium
Ferro Silico Zirconium
Total
% of Increase
Export Earnings (`Million)
% Increase in Export Earnings
2009-10
82.5
287.2
6.1
5.5
12.9
467.0
Neg.
3.0
0.5
==
==
864.7
1.81
43,478
(-) 31.74
2008-09
100.4
208.9
5.3
4.1
10.4
516.5
Neg.
3.2
0.5
==
==
849.3
(-) 5.87
63,692
45.43
2007-08
110.3
262.8
====
5.1
520.7
Neg.
2.4
1.0
==
==
902.3
55.25
43,797
134.31
2006-07
49.3
167.9
0.9
4.8
0.5
356.1
Neg.
0.6
0.7
0.4
==
581.2
==
18,962
==
Table 3 : Exports of Ferro Alloys by India : 2006-07 to 2009-10 ('000 Tonnes)
Imports of Ferro Alloys by India
Imports of ferro alloys between 2006-07 and 2009-10 are shown in Table 4.
Ferro Alloys
Ferro Manganese
Ferro Silicon
Ferro Silico Manganese
Ferro Chrome / Charge Chrome
Ferro Silico ChromeFerro Molybdenum
Ferro Vanadium
Ferro Silico Magnesium
Other Ferro Alloys
Total
% of Increase
Total Value (`Million)
% of Increase by Value Import Duty (%)
2009-10
28.6
125.1
1.4
17.7
==1.1
0.9
1.5
11.6
187.9
41.6
15,147
0
2008-09
22.0
82.8
0.2
12.4
==0.8
0.2
3.8
10.5
132.7
(-) 14.94
15,300
0
2007-08
21.8
96.3
0.5
19.3
==0.5
0.2
4.1
13.3
156.0
22.64
10,894
5.0
2006-07
12.0
86.8
0.2
19.1
0.10.3
0.5
1.8
6.4
127.2
==
7,798
7.5
Table 4 : Imports of Ferro Alloys by India : 2006-07 to 2009-10 ('000 Tonnes)
Imports of Ferro Alloys by India
have increased as and when the basic
Customs Duty has been reduced on a
rate of 7.5 percent in 2006-07, theduty has been brought down to 'NIL'
since 2008-09. This has affected the
domestic producers of ferro alloys
adversely. The Indian Ferro Alloys
Producers Association has suggested
that the government should reimpose
the Customs Duty at the rate of 10
percent on all ferro alloys excludingFerro Nickel. IFAPA has also pointedout that while the duty on ferro alloyshas been brought down to 'NIL', thesame on inputs required formanufacturing ferro alloys varies from2 to 7.5 percent.Apparent Consumption ofFerro Alloys in India
The apparent consumption of ferro
alloys in India (taking bulk and noble
ferro alloys together) between 2006-
07 and 2009-10 is shown in Table 5.
It is observed from the above tabl
that despite a growth of 16.26 percen
in exports on an average per yeabetween 2006-07 and 2009-10, the
country's average annual rate o
growth in apparent consumption o
ferro alloys during the above period
was 6.26 percent. This has happened
due to a higher production of all type
of steel in India, particularly in the
alloy steel, special steel and stainless
steel segments during the above
period.
The average annual rate of growth
in imports of ferro alloys by India
between 2006-07 and 2009-10 wa
about 15.90 percent.
SWOT Analysis of the IndianFerro Alloy Industry
According to the analysis of the
Ind ia Ferro Al loy Producer
A s s o c i a t i o n , t h e s t r e n g t h s
weaknesses, opportunities and threat
in respect of the Indian Ferro Alloy
Industry are as follows :
Strengths
lMineral Reserves
lGrowth prospect of stee
industries
lTechnical Man Power
lLow Labour CostlProximity to Consumers
lProximity to Parts for Exports
Opportunities
lBooming Steel Capacity / Market
lS c o p e f o r I m p r o v i n g
Infrastructure
lIndustrial and Economic Reforms
lCaptive Power Plants
lIncreasing Export Markets
Weakness
lHigh Cost of Capital
lHigh Cost of Power
lDependency on Reductants
lUnavailability of High Grade Ores
lLowering Import Customs Duty
lLess Importance to Research
D e v e l o p m e n t ( R & D a n
Infrastructure)
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Year Imports (I) ('000 Tonnes) Exports (E) ('000 Tonnes)Apparent Consumption
(P) + (I) (E) in 1000 tonnesProduction (P) ('000 Tonnes)
2009-10
2008-09
2007-08
2006-07
2515.0
2220.3
2364.3
2001.4
187.9
132.7
156.0
127.2
864.7
849.3
902.3
581.2
1838.2
1503.7
1618.0
1547.4
Table 5 : Apparent Consumption of Ferro Alloys in India : (2006-07 to 2009-10)
ThreatslMushrooms growth of Ferro AlloyPlantslIncreasing Imports of FerroAlloyslExports of Raw MaterialslFree Trade AgreementsNew Projects & ExpansionsSome of the new projects in theIndian Ferro Alloy sector and
expansion of capacities of the existingprojects taken up are mentionedbelow:lCoastal Ferro Alloy of AbhijitGroup is setting up a ferro manganeseunit of 352,000 tpy capacity of Haldiain the East Midnapur district of WestBengal. The unit will install 16submerged arc furnaces with acapacity of 13.5 MVA each in twophases. Phase I is stated forcompletion in 30 months from the dateof implementation. In phase eightfurnaces will be installed at aninvestment of Rs. 550 crore.lMetsil Exports has planned to setup a ferro alloy unit of 36,000 tpycapacity at Gooty in the Anantapurdistrict of Andhra Pradesh at a cost ofRs. 50 crore.lSamadadia Enterprises Ltd. hasplanned to set up a Ferro Alloy unit anda power plant at Jargarh in the Jabalpurdistrict of Madhya Pradesh at a totalinvestment of Rs. 2695 crore.lRINL and Manganese Ore (India)Ltd. (MOIL) have formed a jointventure named RINMOIL and will setup a joint venture project for producingferro alloys. The JV will come up atBabbili in the Vigianagram district ofA.P. The feasibility report has be4enprepared by MECON.lHaritha Ferro Alloys is setting upa 62,3804 tpy capacity Ferro AlloyPlant at Hakimpet in the Medak district
of Andhra Pradesh. The project will be
implemented in two phases and will
involve an investment of Rs. 350 crore.
The unit is stated for commissioning in
eight months from the zero date.
lShri Hari Ferro Alloys will
implement a Ferro Alloy unit at
Bhikanoor in the Nizamabad district of
A.P. in two phases. The first phase will
include a Ferro Silicon unit (11,088
tpy) and a Ferro Manganese unit
(14,784 tpy) and a sub-mergedelectric furnaces.
lTime Ferro Alloys is expanding
its Banjora facility in the Pankura
district of West Bengal. The expansion
programme will increase the ferro
alloy production capacity from 11,000
tpy to 34,000 tpy at an investment of
Rs. 22 crore.
lAndhra Ferro Alloy is expanding
its ferro alloy unit a Srinivasnagar in
the Vijianagram district of A.P. from 20
TPD to 100 TPD at a cost of Rs. 14
crore. The project is stated for
completion in 12 months from zero
date.
lUtkal Manufacturing and
Services, the Logistic unit of IMFA
Group has planned to expand the
capacity of its charge chrome Furnace
from 30 MVA to 60 MVA at its
Chaudwar unit in the Jaipur district of
Orissa at an investment of about Rs.
100 crore.
lBalasore Alloys, a part of Ispat
Group, is planning to expand the
capac i ty o f i t s Chrome Ore
beneficiation plant from 5000 TPM to
7500 TPM located at Balgopalpur in
the Balasore district an investment ofRs. 15 crore.
It may be mentioned have that some
of the greenfield projects may be
delayed due to land acquisition
problems and obtaining credit from
Banks and other financial institutions.
The planned new projects andexpansion of existing capacitiessignals a marginal revival of India'sferro alloy industry following a majoslowdown after October, 2008 due tothe global economic crisis.Constraints Faced by the IndianFerro Alloy IndustryThe Indian Ferro Alloy Industry isfacing many constraints, some owhich are highlighted below :lThe Indian Ferro Alloy industryhas invested over Rs. 5,000 crore andit provides employment to about 2.4lakh people both directly andindirectly. The industry has createdadequate capacity to meet thedomestic demand as well as to makesubstantial quantity of exports.lAbout 38 percent of the totainstalled capacity remained idle in2009-10 for a decline in domesticdemand, high price and scarcity ochromium and Manganese Ores.lCustoms Duty on Ferro Alloys has
been reduced to zero, which hasopened flood gates of imports at lowercost from China, Kazakhstan, Russiaand South Africa.lFerro Alloy is a power intensiveindustry. The cost of power in Indiavaries from 245 to 490 paise per uniwhereas in China is 150 paiseKazakhstan 78 paise, Russia 85paise and South Africa 105 paise.lThe Customs Duty on imports oFerro Alloys in 'NIL' at presenwhereas the Duty on inputs requiredfor manufacturing Ferro Alloy variesfrom 2 to 7.5 percent.lStiff rise in the cost of rawmaterials and other inputslIncrease in Road and Railwayfreight and non-availability of railwaywagons as per requirements.Major Suggestions of Indian
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F e r r o A l l o y P r od u c e r sAssociation (IFAPA)
The IFAPA has made various
suggestions to the Government to help
the Indian Ferro Alloy industry for its
healthy growth and make it globallycompetitive. Some of these are
mentioned below :
lThe Government should
reimpose the Customs Duty at 10
percent on all ferro alloy excluding
Ferro Nickel.
lThe Government has reduced the
import duty on Ferro Alloy to zero.
IFAPA maintains that it is imperative
that inputs like Manganese Ore,
Chrome Ore, Vanadium Pentoxide and
other ores under Chapter 26 of
Customs Tariff as also the duty on
anthracide coal should be broughtdown to zero percent to reduce the
cost of manufacturing of all Ferro
Alloys.
lExports of Manganese Ore,Chrome Ore and concentrates shouldbe s t opped immed i a t e l y f o rconserving them for use by the ferroalloy and steel industry in future.lThe Geological Survey of India(GSI) and Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM)should undertake further explorationof Chrome Ore deposits beyond 100meter depth seriously and evaluate itsexpected life for the country.lThe Government should handover the work of further mineralexploration to private parties withrequisite experience and havingmodern mining technology in theirfold. Government should also initiatefast track exploration programme likeAreal Survey to look into potentialdeposits which needs furtherexploration proving deposits.ConclusionThe Indian ferro allow industry has
maintained a steady growth despite
various constraints. The industry'
earning valuable foreign exchange
through exports and has performed
creditably in the Corporate Socia
Responsibility (CSR) area.The Indian Ferro Alloy Producer
Association (IFAPA) has made some
va luab le sugges t i ons to the
Government for a healthy growth o
this vital Industry. The Government
on its part, should consider these
suggestion seriously and take
proactive steps to solve the problems
faced by the industry which in turn wil
help the country's steel industry a
well.
Acknowledgement
Article presented by T. S. Sunderasan, Secretath
General, IFAPA at the 9 Asian Steel Conference helthon 19 20 March 2010 in Mumbai and his articl
published in JPC Bulletin August 2010 issues.