INDIAN COPPER INDUSTRY AT A GLANCE IN 2018 - 2019 Overview
India's copper exports fell 70 per cent in 2018-19. Exports of copper and copper products, including cathodes, were $1.07 billion in the period from April 2018 to March 2019, down from $3.48 billion in the 2017-18 fiscal year. This is primarily due to the shutdown of Vedanta Ltd's copper smelter, an industry association reported.
The Sterlite Debacle
Sterlite alone accounts for about 40 percent of the country's production. So exports fell due to their shutdown. Overall copper exports from India during the April 2018 to March 2019 period were down 70 percent from the fiscal year 2017/18.
Exports to China, one of the biggest importers of copper products from India, fell over 80 percent in 2018/19 from the previous year.
Copper production by major companies including Hindalco Industries NSE -0.22 % Ltd and Hindustan Copper Ltd was about 457,000 tonnes in 2018/19, down 40 percent from about 766,000 tonnes a year earlier, according to government data released.