India: The mining of iron ore has been banned in two states of India, Karnataka and Goa. Due to the ban, foundries are suffering a dry spell of raw metal products materials and the power production across the states has been curtailed until the ban is lifted. The President of the Institute of India Foundrymen, H. Sundara Murthy told the reporters that the “shortage of iron ore due to ban on mining in Karnataka and Goa is hampering production and erratic power supply in many states, especially in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, is forcing our units to work in one shift.”

Statistics reveal that about 5,000 foundries in India produce grey iron, malleable steel, ductile iron, non-ferrous and steel casting to the tune of 9.05 million tonnes; evidently, this production of metal products have been severely disrupted because of the iron ore ban. At present, China is the market leader of foundry based castings, producing 40 million tonnes per year, followed by India, according to the World Foundry Organization. To maintain this position, the ban on iron ore mining has to be lifted.

The Vice-President of World Foundry Organization, Vinod Kapur commented that “with user industries requiring about 20 million tonnes per year, the gap in the supply and demand of castings is widening due to fall in production owing raw material shortage and power constraints. The government must intervene to ensure enough supply of both - iron ore and quality power.”