Amid stagnant domestic production, Copper concentrate imports have doubled to Rs 26,000 crore in FY24 from around Rs 13,000 crore in FY19.

About Copper 

• Natural Occurrence: Copper is found in the Earth’s crust and Extracted from ores such as chalcopyrite, malachite, and bornite
• Usage →  Electrical cables, Chemical industries, Defence, Space programme and Alloys ( mixed with gold to provide strength to jewellery)
• Copper has been designated as a critical mineral.
  • Its role in clean energy technologies – like wind turbines and EV batteries – has put India’s growing import reliance in the spotlight.

Dependency on Imports

• Not self-sufficient: India’s copper production is about 2% of the world’s copper production.
• Low grade copper: India has low-grade copper ore (less than 1% metal content) compared to the international average of 2.5%.
• National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET), under the Ministry of Mines, oversees mineral block exploration in India
  • In FY24 and FY23 → NMET approved only two copper exploration projects.
• Largest reserves/resources of copper ore →  Rajasthan (52.25%) followed by Jharkhand (15.14%) and Madhya Pradesh (23.28%). 
• Producer (2020-21) → Madhya Pradesh (60%) followed by Rajasthan (39%) and Jharkhand (1 percent)
• Copper ore production → 4.13 million tonnes (In FY19) dropping to 3.27 Mt (FY21) recovered to 3.78 Mt (FY24)
  • Copper concentrate production → It dropped by 13 per cent in FY24 compared to FY19
• Chile: Top copper producer( 27% of the global supply)  followed by Peru (10%) and China at 3rd
  • World‘s largest deposit of porphyry copper (Porphyritic igneous rocks) is the Escondida mine in Chile. 

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