India’s coal production is expected to drop in this fiscal year, which runs from April 2019 to March 2020. India is estimated to produce 703.1 million tons of coal in FY 2019/2020, lower than 728.72 million tons in the previous fiscal year, and marks the first decline in about two decades. This estimate is based on cooling mining activity due to heavy monsoons.
Average monthly production in January to March is forecast at 74.37 million tons. Previously, the country has reported total production for April-December, which stood at 480 million tons. The decline in domestic production will be likely to support demand for import coal.
India produced 710.2 million tons of coal in the calendar year of 2019, decreasing 0.6% from the previous year. The fall in the calendar year of 2019 mostly reflects the drop in Coal India (CIL) output due to prolonged rain. However, it also underlines the trend of decreasing coal burn amid slow economic growth which weighs on electricity demand.
