India 2018

356 India 2018
India has been a net importer of total finished steel since 2007-08 except
2013-14 and 2016-17. Imports of total finished steel grew by 1.1 per cent while
exports went up by 12.4 per cent both on CAGR basis in the last five years.
The crude steel performance contributed largely by the strong trends in
growth of the electric route of steel making, particulary the electric furnace
route which accounted for 57 per cent of total crude steel production in the
country during 2016-17 (prov.) and has remained a key driver of crude steel
production. India is also leading producer of sponge iron with a host of cost
based units located in the mineral rich states of the country. Over the years, the
coal based route has emerged as a key contributor and accounted for 79 per
cent of total sponge iron production in the country in 2016-17 (prov.) Capacity
in sponge iron making has also increased over the years and stood at 43.4 mt in
2015-16. India has been the world's largest sponge iron producer every year
since 2003 except 2016.
India is also an important producer of pig iron. Post liberalization, with
setting up several units in the private sector, not only imports have drastically
reduced but also India has turned out to be a net exporter of pig iron. The
private sector has accounted for 94 per cent of total production for sale of pig
iron in the country in 2016-17 (prov.)
Global Ranking of Indian Steel
World crude steel production stood at 1630 million tonnes (mt) during 2016
(prov.) and showed an increase of 0.6 per cent over 2015 based on the provisional
data released by World Steel Association (World Steel). During 2016 (Prov.)
Chinese crude steel production reached 808.4 mt. an increase of 0.5 per cent
over 2015. China remained the largest crude steel producer in the world
accounting for 73 per cent of the Asian and 50 per cent of the world crude steel
production during 2016 (prov.) India was the third largest crude steel producer
during this period and recorded a growth of 7.4 per cent over 2015.
Fertilizer
Agriculture which accounts for about one seventh of the GDP, provides
sustenance to nearly two-third of our population, Besides, it provides crucial
backward and forward linkages to the rest of economy. Successive five-year
plans have laid emphasis on self-sufficiency and self-reliance in food grain
production and concerted efforts in this direction have resulted in substantial
increase in agriculture production and productivity. This is clear from the fact
that from a very modest level of 32 million MT in 1951-52, food grain production
increased to about 252.68 million MT in 2014-15. The target for 2015-16 has
been kept at 264.10 MT. In meeting the domestic requirement of food grains
and also generating exportable surpluses, the significant role played by chemical
fertilizers is well recognized.
As of now, the country has achieved 80 per cent self-sufficiency in
production capacity of Urea. As a result, India could manage its substantial