It’s reported that India’s iron ore exports totaled 25.29 million tons during April to July, down by 21.86% year on year, affected by high costs and slowly resumed shipments in Karnataka state.

According to data released by the Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI), Indian exports of iron ore dropped by 29.01% to 8.142 million tons in April and it dipped by 16.89% to 9.338 million tons in May.

Furthermore, the country’s exports of iron ore in June and July decreased by 15.95% and 22.56% to 4.186 million tons and 3.624 million tons respectively.

It’s known that the Karnataka state government put ban on iron ore exports to curb the illegal mining activity.

In fact, the Supreme Court ordered the state to resume the shipment in April. However, the exports haven’t been resumed.

At the same time, Indian government ordered to increase the export duty of iron ore to 20% from the previous 5% to ensure the sufficient supply to local industry.

Affected by these factors, Indian iron ore exports have continued to drop.