Logistics woes drive Indian steel mills to buy iron ore overseas
Steel mills in India are increasingly tapping the global market for iron ore as they find it difficult to transport the key raw material from local mines, and demand
for the metal surges in response to the government's ambitious plans to build out the nation’s infrastructure. “Today, India is a net importer of iron ore,” as producers
along the coast buy from overseas because they face domestic logistics challenges, mainly as a result of an overloaded railway system, Tuhin Mukherjee, managing director
of Essel Mining & Industries, said in an interview in New Delhi. Freight and passenger trains in Asia's third-largest economy jostle for space on the same tracks,
and goods carriers often have to make way for passenger traffic, prolonging turnaround time for wagons hauling commodities. More supplies of iron ore will be required
as the South Asian nation is set to overtake Japan as the world's second-biggest steel producer this year.
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