India's manganese ore imports jump 40% y-o-y in H1 FY27 on surging alloy exports, high-grade ore demand

Imports rise to 4.05 mnt in H1 despite 24% growth in domestic ore output. Higher steel production, alloy exports, high-grade ore constraints drive imports. Weak Chinese demand, global supply growth improve Indias access to imported ore

India's imports of manganese ore increased from 2.89 million tonnes (mnt) in H1 FY26 to 4.05 mnt in H1 FY27, as per provisional data available with BigMint. South Africa remained the largest supplier at 1.88 mnt followed by Gabon and Australia. Although Indias manganese ore production across grades increased by