‘India’s crude steel output declines’
   Date :25-May-2020

 crude steel _1 &nbs
 
 
 
INDIA’S crude steel output declined over 65 per cent to 3.13 million tonnes (MT) during April, according to the World Steel Association. The Government imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 25 to prevent spread of the coronavirus pandemic which has impacted production, demand and supply of steel in India. The country had produced 9.02 million tonnes of crude steel during the same month a year ago, the World Steel Association (Worldsteel) said in a report.
 
India had posted a 14 per cent decline in steel output at 8.65 million tonnes in March as compared with 10.04 million tonnes in March 2019.Global steel output also declined 13 per cent to 137.09 million tonnes as compared with 157.67 million tonnes in April 2019. “Due to the ongoing difficulties presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, many of this month's (April) figures are estimates that may be revised with next month's production update,” the global industry body said.
 
China, which had for the first time in many months reported a 1.7 per cent fall in its output in March at 78.97 MT, has started showing growth in production, the data showed. The country, which has a sizeable share in global output, produced 85.03 MT steel in April, a marginal rise of 0.2 per cent as compared with 84.87 MT in the corresponding month of 2019, according to data from the report.